Drive for 5: Playoff push begins
PITTSBURGH – Just win, baby.
With apologies to former Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis, the Steelers return to action out of their bye week needing to win their final five games.
That will be the one way they can guarantee returning to the postseason for the first time since 2011.
With the way things are looking in the AFC, where the Steelers (7-4) entered the week on the outside looking in at the playoff picture despite just two teams in the conference having a better record, it might take five more wins to reach the postseason.
“I absolutely think it’s a must-win,” said Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. “We feel this is a very important game. We have to put together a stretch of football that we never played before.”
Things are exactly the opposite for the New Orleans Saints, Pittsburgh’s opponent today at Heinz Field. Kickoff is 1 p.m.
The Saints aren’t concerned as much about winning their final five games as they are just getting to a fifth victory, something that has eluded them for nearly a month.
New Orleans (4-7) has lost three consecutive games, all at home, after beating Carolina, 28-10, Oct. 30. Despite that, the Saints remain tied for the division lead in the AFC South.
“They have a lot to play for in their division,” New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees said of the Steelers. “They have a very competitive division. For us, we need a win, too. I expect it to be a great game.”
The Steelers have had great games in their last three appearances at Heinz Field. They scored 24 points in the closing three minutes of the first half of a win over Houston Oct. 20 and followed that with Roethlisberger throwing six touchdown passes in back-to-back victories over Indianapolis and Baltimore.
They might need a similar offensive effort against the Saints, who are third in the NFL in total offense, three spots ahead of the Steelers. Both teams are averaging 26.2 points per game. The Steelers have been even better than that at Heinz Field, where they average 35 points per game, far more than the 18 points they average on the road.
“I don’t know why it’s been like that,” said Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell, who is coming off a career-high 204-yard rushing effort in a 27-24 win at Tennessee Nov. 17.
“I feel like we have the ability. We just need to find a way to be more consistent.”
Saints head coach Sean Payton could say the same thing about his team.
The Saints are 1-4 on the road but are in the thick of the playoff race in the NFC. But a loss to the Steelers would put them at 0-4 against the AFC North.
“They’re grown men and they’re smart enough to understand what’s at stake,” Payton said. “But make no mistake about it, we’ve got to play better football.”
Coming off of their bye week the Steelers are getting healthier. Safety Troy Polamalu will return after missing the last two games with a knee injury, and cornerback Ike Taylor is back after sitting out eight games with a fractured forearm. Rookie linebacker Ryan Shazier also might be back, at least in a limited role, after being out for two games with an ankle injury.
But right tackle Marcus Gilbert is out with an ankle injury suffered in practice this week. Mike Adams will start in his place.
One player who will be starting for the Saints is one who got away from the Steelers, cornerback Keenan Lewis.
Lewis left the cash-strapped Steelers two years ago and will be making his return to Pittsburgh. New Orleans’ top cornerback, Lewis will likely be tasked with trying to slow Pittsburgh receiver Antonio Brown, who leads the NFL with 88 receptions.
“He’s been playing great,” said Roethlisberger of Lewis. “He gets up and presses. I have always thought he was a great football player, even when he was here. He is (tall). He can run really well. He can cover. He has just seemed to have gotten better every year.”
The same could be said of Roethlisberger and Brees. The two Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks are both now in their 30s and looking to get their respective teams into the postseason. Brees is third in the NFL with 3,491 passing yards. Roethlisberger is fifth at 3,270.
Brees and the Saints know they have their work cut out for them against the Steelers, who are 4-1 at home.
“He’s having a phenomenal year and their team is playing really well,” Brees said of Roethlisberger. “Obviously, coming off the bye, we know they’re going to be fresh and ready.”
Members of the 1974 Steelers will be honored at halftime for the 40th anniversary of the team’s first Super Bowl victory. … The Steelers are 2-3 in games that start at 1 p.m. … The Steelers are 27-11 against NFC opponents in games started by Roethlisberger. … Bell needs 49 rushing yards for his first 1,000 yard season and the first for a Pittsburgh running back since 2010.