The Steelers’ messy win vs. the Patriots should leave both teams concerned about the playoffs

The Pittsburgh Steelers picked up a crucial 17-10 win against the New England Patriots in Week 15 in a game with plenty of postseason implications. But neither team looked like a polished contender Sunday.

Instead, a December game between two postseason mainstays was riddled with errors.

After Week 15, neither the 8-5-1 Steelers nor the 9-5 Patriots have clinched a spot in the playoffs. That probably won’t last long, and both are in great shape to soon guarantee their seasons extend into January. But Sunday made it harder to trust that either team has what it takes to add another Super Bowl to their storied histories.

Here are the reasons the Steelers’ win should concern both teams:

The Steelers could’ve taken a commanding lead over the Patriots at several points in the game. The two biggest blown opportunities came when Roethlisberger threw interceptions to Patriots safety Duron Harmon just as the Steelers were getting into Patriots territory.

The first was an awful overthrow when the Steelers were threatening to extend their lead to double digits before halftime.

The second was forced into traffic when the Steelers needed points in the fourth quarter.

But neither was as bad as Brady inexplicably lobbing a ball into the Steelers secondary while falling backward. Joe Haden made a great play on the ball to end what should’ve been — at the very least — a drive that ended with a field goal for the Patriots.

In a season when quarterbacks are racking up stats at historic levels, Brady and Roethlisberger are hovering around the league average in passer rating.

They both have well-deserved reputations for picking up their play in the playoffs. Brady has five Super Bowl wins, and Roethlisberger has two. But both are in the twilight of their career, and the age may finally be starting to show.

If the Patriots and Steelers hope to have a shot, they need their future Hall of Fame quarterbacks to regain their elite form, because average isn’t going to be good enough.

At the final whistle, New England had 14 penalties for 106 yards. Those are shocking amounts for a team coached by Bill Belichick, who usually has his teams ready to play disciplined football.

Since 2004, the Patriots have picked up over 12 penalties in just one other game. That was a 30-7 win over the Vikings in Week 2 of the 2014 season. Making that many errors in December is much more concerning.

The Patriots have been uncharacteristically inconsistent all season — including bad losses to the Lions and Titans, and an inexcusable blow-it against the Dolphins. New England does have wins against the Chiefs, Bears, Texans, and Colts — but it’s been a while since the Patriots had their act together the way they did it in those victories.

The Patriots’ only touchdown of the day was about as easy a throw as you’ll ever see Brady make. The Steelers decided to blitz and triple covered Josh Gordon. That left absolutely nobody to cover Chris Hogan, who didn’t have a Steelers defender within 20 yards of him when he caught his 63-yard touchdown.

It wasn’t just that play. The Patriots also got a chance to score a game-tying touchdown, because the Steelers left Julian Edelman wide open up the seam for a 34-yard gain with just under two minutes left in the game.

Holding the Patriots to 10 points was impressive, but the Steelers better close up the holes in their secondary if they hope to beat the high-powered offenses of the Chiefs or Chargers in the playoffs.

Chris Boswell kept his job for another week, and he drilled an important 48-yard field goal in the final minutes to extend the Steelers’ lead to seven. But that was after he missed a 32-yard field goal earlier in the game that could’ve given Pittsburgh a much more comfortable lead.

Maybe his kick at the end of the game saved his job for another week. But if Boswell is still the Steelers’ kicker in the playoffs, that’ll be worrisome.

The Steelers held kicker tryouts prior to Week 15, but stuck with Boswell. One of the kickers at the audition was Kai Forbath, who signed with the Jaguars later in the week.

Holding tryouts again may be a wise choice.

It’s tough to rule out the Patriots and Steelers. They’re perennial contenders and usually step up their game when it matters most. It’s also hard to have faith that the Chargers and Chiefs, won’t revert to their historic tendency to wilt in the playoffs.

The Steelers desperately needed the win after three consecutive losses backed them into a corner. It’s also the team’s first win against the Patriots since 2011, so they probably won’t spend too much time lamenting how they got it.

But Sunday was another indication that the clear-cut top teams in the AFC are both in the AFC West. The Patriots and Steelers have serious kinks to work out if they hope to actually compete for a title.