Dec 14, 2019 5 min read

Not that it’s necessarily a surprise considering the run the Baltimore Ravens have been on, but the Steelers now know that their path through the playoffs will be on the road – if they make it that far.

That we’re even talking about the postseason in the middle of December is, in itself, a Christmas miracle. But this is a mentally tough team, galvanized by the things that began to manifest themselves last year around this time.

Part of the reason the Steelers are winning without Ben Roethlisberger, without Le’Veon Bell, without Antonio Brown, has been because of the mud Brown drug them through.

“It’s one of those things where you play the long game,” guard Ramon Foster said of head coach Mike Tomlin’s handling of Brown over the years. “You control it, control it, control it until you can’t any more. I still like AB. But we benefited from it.”

Benefited?

“Yeah. There’s been no outside chatter going on,” Foster said. “There’s been no craziness going on. It feels like everybody is like, you are who you are here. Nobody has to feel like they have to overperform.”

They all just do their part. No silliness on or off the field. It’s just football.

This team is following the cues of Tomlin.

“We have a way we do things here and it starts from the top and he just personifies that,” linebacker Vince Williams said. “He’s the person we look to for it. He’s always been that consistent not-moving target. So, it’s really easy to center yourself because that’s how he is. He asks us to do the same things he asks himself to do. That’s very unique and cool.”

• James Conner should be back for the Steelers against the Buffalo Bills, but he won’t immediately go back to handling 80 percent of the carries. Benny Snell and Kerrith Whyte have earned touches.

Conner does add some mystery to the offense. He isn’t a tell when he is in the backfield like the others are. Teams have a pretty good idea of what is going to happen when the other running backs are in the game.

n The fake punt that went awry last week against the Cardinals wasn’t called from the sideline or on the field. The Steelers had practiced that play for several weeks if they got a certain look from the defense.

But up 10 points in the fourth quarter, the punt team was told in no uncertain terms not to do it. Everyone heard that instruction except for punter Jordan Berry.

That is a situation that Berry has got to know what not to do.

This week’s picks

Steelers (minus 1) over Bills:

The Bills have skated the edge all season. Quarterback Josh Allen has fumbled 14 times in 13 games but only lost four. Opposing placekickers have missed a league-high 12 kicks against Buffalo. Given that the Steelers lead the league in turnovers forced and Chris Boswell has missed just two kicks all season, the Bills can count on neither of those things against the Steelers. The Bills also are 3-17 in night games since 2002. And while the Steelers own only one victory against teams who currently have a winning record – the Los Angeles Rams – the Bills have only beaten one such team, the Tennessee Titans. But that came when Marcus Mariota, not Ryan Tannehill, was Tennessee’s quarterback. Take the Steelers, 16-13

Tennessee (minus 3) over Houston: The Titans have been on fire with Tannehill and they need this one more than the Texans considering they have to play the New Orleans Saints next week before a rematch in Houston in Week 17. Derrick Henry is questionable with a hamstring injury, which is troublesome, but we’ll go with the home team. Take the Titans, 26-21.

Cincinnati (plus 10) against New England: The Patriots will win this game. But 10 points is a bit much for their struggling offense. And the Bengals will run Joe Mixon at a pretty soft run defense 20 or so times. Take the Bengals to cover in a 24-16 loss.

Minnesota (minus 1) at Los Angeles Chargers: The Chargers have no home-field advantage and the Vikings’ pass rush will cause problems for quarterback Philip Rivers. The Chargers’ defense is solid, but the Vikings need this game with the Rams nipping at their heals for a wild-card spot. Take the Vikings, 21-17

Los Angeles Rams (minus 1) at Dallas: The Rams have gone back to the basics, finally turning things over to Todd Gurley in the running game. The Cowboys are a mess with injuries on defense. And Aaron Donald and company are red hot on defense. Take the Rams, 27-24

Last Week: 5-0 Overall: 38-30-1