Dec 21, 2015 4 min read

PITTSBURGH – The Steelers’ scenarios for clinching a playoff berth get less complicated each week, much less so than it has been for opponents trying to slow Pittsburgh’s high-powered offense.

Pittsburgh has now scored 30 or more points in a team-record six consecutive games, helping the Steelers (9-5) go 5-1 in that span and grab control of their playoff fate.

The defense, however, continues to be confounding.

The Steelers couldn’t get off the field defensively in the first half of Sunday’s 34-27 come-from-behind win over Denver, allowing the Broncos to convert all eight of their third-down attempts and score touchdowns on four consecutive possessions.

But Denver’s nine second-half possessions ended in six consecutive punts, an interception and two turnovers on downs as the Steelers pitched a shutout in the second half. Denver converted 1 of 9 third downs in the second half.

The difference? The Steelers just kept talking.

Head coach Mike Tomlin called some of his more veteran defensive players – safeties Mike Mitchell and Will Allen, along with cornerback William Gay – together late in the first half and implored them to keep communicating with the younger players on the team’s defense.

“When things aren’t going well, oftentimes people stop talking and communicating with each other,” Tomlin said. “They look within and things of that nature.

“When things go bad you can’t go mute, and they didn’t. I think that was the catalyst.”

With veteran linebacker Lawrence Timmons leaving the field when the Steelers went to a dime defense – six defensive backs – on obvious passing downs, second-year linebacker Ryan Shazier was tasked with calling some of the defensive plays. And it wasn’t always smooth.

There was confusion in coverage on at least two of Denver’s four touchdowns in the first half, leading Tomlin to say the Steelers were, “kicking their own butts.”

“Everybody just had to calm down,” Shazier said. “Everybody was antsy. We were all just trying to do too much. We all just needed to focus on our job and I think that’s what we did in the second half.”

Denver managed just five first downs in the second half.

The Steelers continued to substitute safety Robert Golden for Timmons in the second half on passing downs, but corner Brandon Boykin also saw increased playing time at the expense of Antwon Blake.

The key, however, was increased pressure on quarterback Brock Osweiler. Pittsburgh turned up its pressure and drew three holding penalties on Denver’s opening possession of the second half.

“I think everybody was (ticked) off,” said defensive end Cameron Heyward. “We all knew we played like crap in the first half, and I think we really just had to wake up. You give them credit when credit is due, and they did a good job in the first half, but we didn’t play our best brand of football in the first half.”

They did in the second half, and as a result, their playoff formula is simple.

If the Steelers win at Baltimore Sunday, they will clinch a playoff berth if New England Patriots win next Monday night at the New York Jets. With the Broncos hosting Cincinnati in a battle of current division leaders, things could be shaken up dramatically.

If Denver wins, the Steelers would still have a chance to win the AFC North if they then beat Cleveland in Week 17 and Cincinnati loses at home to Baltimore.

But a Cincinnati win at Denver would clinch the AFC North title for the Bengals and could push the Steelers to the No. 5 seed in the AFC playoffs. Kansas City owns the tiebreaker over Denver, as do the Steelers with their win last Sunday. The Chiefs host Cleveland this week.

Despite having 40 sacks and 15 interceptions – their most in a season in both statistics since 2010 – the defense knows it cannot afford to have meltdowns as it did in the first half against the Broncos if it hopes to survive in the postseason – even with the offense producing at its current rate.

“We can’t make those mental errors in big games like this, games that matter the most,” said strong safety Will Allen. “We did but we corrected them. We made adjustments, and once we got hot there was no stopping us.”

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger became the first player in NFL history to have two 40-completion games in his career on Sunday. In addition to completing 40 passes against the Broncos, Roethlisberger also completed 40 passes against Indianapolis in 2014. … Steelers punter Jordan Berry has placed 26 of his 53 punts this season inside the opposing 20. He has just one touchback.