The Steelers won because of their offense. Not because their offense simply contributed to a winning performance. Not as a result of their offense taking advantage of field position created by big plays from the defense or blocked punts from special teams. Nor was it in spite of their offense.
No, when their 30-23 victory over Seattle on Dec. 31 is analyzed, the only logical conclusion, the only accurate way of characterizing what happened at Lumen Field is that the offense put the team on its back and carried it to a win the Steelers absolutely had to have. In the penultimate week of a regular season that has included an in-season change at offensive coordinator, the benching of the veteran backup quarterback for performance, 10 games of 20-or-fewer points scored, and a growing level of frustration among the players, the Steelers won a critical game because of their offense.
Because. Of. Their. Offense.
"We were in a hostile environment today to say the least and playing a team that was desperate like we were," said Coach Mike Tomlin. "We didn't blink, and so I'm appreciative of that. They're to be congratulated for that. But I thought the offensive line provided the wave that we rode. We talked all week about trying to conquer the environment, (talked about) winning the line of scrimmage being a major component of that, and they embraced the challenge. And I thought that kind of controlled the climate, made third downs manageable ones, minimized possession downs, minimized the crowd component of it."
I'll pause here to put the names out there, because so often their best work is done in anonymity. From left to right along the front, it was Dan Moore Jr., Isaac Seumalo, Mason Cole, James Daniels, and Broderick Jones. Also involved in a lot of the heavy lifting (a couple of times literally lifting and pushing) were tight ends Darnell Washington, Pat Freiermuth, Connor Heyward, and Rodney Williams.
Of those 9 individuals, the only players who touched the football during the game were Cole (who snapped it for each of the 71 offensive plays) and Freiermuth who caught 3 passes for 44 yards. For the most part, those 9 spent their time on the field moving Seahawks defenders from Point A to Point B against their will. And that was how, and why, the game was won.
The Steelers had 10 offensive possessions vs. Seattle. One of those ended on an incomplete pass on fourth-and-5 after moving the ball 34 yards on the previous 7 plays, and another was a 2-plays-to-run-out-the-final-seconds-of-the-first half. The other eight ended: touchdown, field goal, touchdown, touchdown, punt, field goal, field goal, and kill the final 2 minutes to ice the win.
Yes, Mason Rudolph again hit some throws down the field – there was a 42-yard completion to Diontae Johnson, three to George Pickens that covered 37, 34, and 24 yards, and one to Freiermuth for 25 yards – but most of the heavy lifting came with Najee Harris or Jaylen Warren "hitting it up in there" as longtime running backs coach Dick Hoak used to call it. Downhill running, stiff-arming a cornerback to the ground when the opportunity presented itself (Harris on Riq Woolen), or just making oneself difficult to get on the ground. Over and over and over again.
The first touchdown drive covered 80 yards in 14 plays, 11 of which were runs, and the points came via an 18-yard run by Warren; the second touchdown drive covered 75 yards in 9 plays, 7 of which were runs, and the points came on a 9-yard run by Harris; the third touchdown drive covered 71 yards in 6 plays, 4 of which were runs, and the points came on a 4-yard run by Harris. There also was a field goal drive midway through the fourth quarter that covered 65 yards in 13 plays, 8 of which were runs, and it drained 6 minutes off the clock in what at the time was a 4-point game.
The Steelers rushed for 145 yards in the first half and possessed the ball for 19 minutes, and while their rushing yardage dipped to 57 yards in the second half they still were able to possess the ball for 18 minutes because the defensive concessions the Seahawks had to make to minimize the rushing yardage is what created the single coverage that Rudolph exploited in completing 9-of-11 for 154 yards, with 79 coming on four catches (19.8 average) by Pickens.
Jonathan Vilma was the color analyst on the FOX broadcast of the game, and in his previous life he played inside linebacker for 10 seasons in the NFL during which he was credited with 100-plus tackles in 6 of those seasons. Throughout the earlier portions of the game, Vilma kept making the point that the physical toll the Steelers were inflicting on the Seahawks with their ability to run the ball so effectively was going to be the difference in the outcome.
You see, the defense the Steelers were putting on the field was going to start its seventh different inside linebacker (Myles Jack) and a pair of safeties who a fortnight ago either were new to the position (Patrick Peterson) or new to the active roster (Eric Rowe). Because Seattle had the weapons to exploit the middle of the Steelers defense via the pass, it was critical to limit the exposure. To do that, it was going to be up to the offense to play keep-away while also producing points. In the pregame analysis, 30 points seemed to be what they'd need, and that's exactly what they got.
There have been games this season where the Steelers have been the nail on one or the other of the lines of scrimmage, but in Seattle they were the hammer. They ran 71 offense plays, controlled the ball for 37-and-a-half minutes, punted just once, and had no turnovers, which added up to 7 trips into the red zone with at least a field goal to show for each one. Some of their 202 rushing yards came with Rudolph under center and some came with him in the shotgun. They were patient yet aggressive, efficient and continuously physical.
"We haven't been our best defense, but to have an offense that was going out there and giving us 30 points, that's a lot to rely on," said Cam Heyward. "I hate to say it gives us more room for error. It's a team game and to have that complementary football where if we give up a score the offense goes down and gets another touchdown, you really do appreciate that."
"As much as we'll talk about Mason, props to the O-line. The O-line did an amazing job today. Blocking, finishing runs. It was a complete offensive performance. You tip your hat to them."
The Steelers won an important game at a historically difficult venue vs. an opponent capable of exploiting areas of their defense, and all that only happened because of their offense.
Because. Of. Their. Offense.
