The Pittsburgh Steelers stay alive in the 2022 NFL playoff race following a 13-10 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday night. Obviously, the Steelers victory was motivated by the sudden passing of Steelers legend, Franco Harris, just days before getting his jersey retired for all of Acrisure Stadium to see. The win was fitting, and the way we became victorious was even more fitting, as we scrapped out a victory playing behind a defense that forced three turnovers and rushed for over 100 yards on the opposite side of the football. Needless to say, Harris would have been extremely proud of the way in which the Steelers won this football game.
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive captain, Cam Heyward (97) runs out of the tunnel at Acrisure Stadium holding a flag in honor of the late Franco Harris during pregame. | Karl Roser/Pittsburgh Steelers
With that being said, the Steelers will face two division opponents to close out the season (Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns) and will need to not only win both of those contests, but are going to need some help from some other AFC foes as well.
The Steelers essentially need the Miami Dolphins to keep their current losing streak alive, and lose their last two contests to close out the season. IF that happens to be the case, and the Steelers themselves win their remaining games, we will secure the last playoff spot in the AFC Wild Card race (as long as the New England Patriots also lose to the Buffalo Bills in Week 18). Yes, it may be far fetched, and the chances of that happening are right at that 2% mark, but I can assure you that if we get lucky enough to squeeze in the final 14, no team wants to see the Steelers on their schedule once the playoffs arrive.
One main reason for that could just be because of the way Cam Heyward and the defensive front have been playing these past few months. Obviously, losing T.J. Watt early in the season for several games affected the way this defense played, but they relied on the efforts of both Heyward and Alex Highsmith in his absence and needless to say, they both lived up to the expectations.
While Highsmith himself has already exceeded double digit sacks on the year (12 as of now), Heyward is inching closer and closer to back to back double digit sack seasons as he sits with 8.5 total sacks on the year, just 1.5 short of reaching 10 for the season. This would tie his total sack count for last season. Following his alternate Pro Bowl nomination, Heyward wasted no time in proving them right, as he arguably is coming off his best game of the season against the Raiders in which he recorded seven combined tackles and got to Derek Carr a total of two times. He was in the backfield on almost every play and provided constant pressure which allowed for his secondary to record three interceptions on the day.
Even with Watt out for a good chunk of the year, the efforts of Heyward and Highsmith's pressure on the quarterback could be a good reason why the Steelers secondary leads the league in total interceptions (17).
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman, Cam Heyward sacks Las Vegas Raiders QB Derek Carr (4) in a 13-10 victory at Acrisure Stadium. | Karl Roser/Pittsburgh Steelers
I'm sure if you asked Heyward, he would much rather be playing in a Super Bowl this season, rather than a Pro Bowl. I know it is a very slim chance, but just being at this point of being still "in the hunt" should excite all of Steeler Nation for the future of this franchise, especially with how the season started.
Do the Steelers potential playoff hopes make you feel any better about the future of this team? Comment below!
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