Pittsburgh Steelers' fans across the world shared the same stress and frustration going into Week 18 of the 2022 NFL regular season. In order for the Steelers to make the NFL playoffs, they needed to beat the Cleveland Browns, the Buffalo Bills to beat the New England Patriots, and the New York Jets to beat the Miami Dolphins. That's a lot to root for on one Sunday, especially with all three games beginning at the same time. Steelers' defensive end Larry Ogunjobi was on the most recent episode of the The Sick Podcast where he discussed the importance of the Steelers not putting their fate in the hands of any other teams.
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Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi struggled with injuries in 2022, but still managed to start 16 games.
Steelers Not Controlling Their Own Destiny In 2022
As mentioned before, Steelers' fans were rooting for a lot in order to see their team play in the playoffs again. Unfortunately, that Sunday did not go the Steelers' way. The Bills were able to beat the Patriots, and the Steelers handled their business against the Browns. However, the Dolphins were able to kick a field goal late in the fourth quarter to earn the victory over the Jets and claim the last playoff spot in the AFC. The Steelers could have been in a great position to control their own destiny and make the playoffs, but the team lost one-possession games earlier in the season to the Patriots, Jets, and Dolphins. Ogunjobi touched on this during his interview.
"You never want to put your fate in somebody else's hands. Especially here. Being around the culture, that's definitely not what the Steelers want to do."
The Steelers also did not control their own playoff destiny going into Week 18 of the 2021 NFL season, however it worked out for them that time even though it was such a long-shot. The Steelers needed to win their game against their AFC North rival the Baltimore Ravens, the Jacksonville Jaguars (a 15-point underdog) to beat the Indianapolis Colts, and the Sunday Night Football matchup between the Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders to not end in a tie. The Steelers were able to pull out a win against the Ravens, and the Jaguars found a way to beat the Colts. However, it got scary for Steelers' fans as the game was tied until the end of overtime when the Raiders were able to kick a game-winning field goal as time expired, which secured the Steelers' playoff spot.
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Raiders' Daniel Carlson kicks game-winner to send Steelers to playoffs.
Steelers' 2022 Playoff Push
Ogunjobi discussed what it was like to start the 2022 NFL season in such a horrible way. The Steelers were 2-6, and the team's playoff chances were looking grimmer as each day went by. However the team was able to go 7-2 in their last nine games, putting them in position to have a shot at making the playoffs with a 9-8 record on the season. Ogunjobi talked about what that playoff push meant to the team.
"It's a testament to the guys about where we started from, and how things looked, to fight back and to finish the way that we did. And that's what you need to build that camaraderie and momentum and move in the right direction."
These are promising words from the Steelers' defensive player, discussing the momentum that was built at the end of last season and going into the offseason. It shows that players on the team know they are trending in the right direction, and will have a better chance this season to not have to worry about the outcome of other games come Week 18.
Matt Freed / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Steelers' Larry Ogunjobi waits for drills to start during a team practice in 2022.
Ogunjobi was battling injuries throughout the 2022 NFL season, yet he still managed to play in 16 games. He might not have had his most productive season, but there is no doubt he is looking forward to coming back a more improved and healthy player this season. Ogunjobi signed a three-year extension with the Steelers back in March, and has talked about the major changes he has made in his training for this season in order to make a larger impact on the Steelers' defense.
With the building momentum and improvements that have been made to the Steelers prior to the start of the 2023 NFL season, fans can expect that the Steelers will not allow another team to control their playoff destiny at the end of the season.
What do you think, Steeler Nation? Let us know in the comments below!
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