Oct 26, 2019 5 min read

The Steelers didn’t get the help they needed last week. The Baltimore Ravens went to Seattle and went home with a victory to improve to 5-2 heading into their bye week.

So the Steelers will have to take matters into their own hands. They can’t worry about what everyone else is doing. They just have to start winning games.

They’ve done that in two of the past three games, winning against the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Chargers. That’s a nice start.

This week, they get the winless Miami Dolphins coming to Heinz Field, so there’s a good chance they’ll make it three wins in four games to improve to 3-4. And 3-4 is smack dab in the middle of the playoff race in the AFC.

But it will be the two games that follow that will truly tell if the Steelers can compete for a playoff spot. That is when they’ll host the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Rams in back-to-back weeks.

This will mark the fifth time in Mike Tomlin’s tenure the Steelers will have a three-game homestand. They went 3-0 in 2014 and 2-1 in 2015, 2010 and 2008.

They need to go at least 2-1 in this stretch to keep themselves alive in a watered-down AFC. And it certainly would help if the two wins came in the next two weeks against a pair of AFC teams. Then, the third win, against the Rams, would be gravy.

Is it possible? Most certainly. The Steelers have the league’s best pass-blocking offensive line. They’ve allowed five sacks all season.

Now, they need to get their run blocking back up to speed. If they can do that, the Steelers should have a shot to beat anyone remaining on their schedule.

• Since acquiring Minkah Fitzpatrick, the Steelers are allowing 17.5 points and 309 total yards per game. That’s down 14 points and about 140 yards per game from what they did in the first two weeks of the season.

The opponents factor into the equation. The Steelers played New England and Seattle the first two weeks of the season. Tom Brady and Russell Wilson might be the two best quarterbacks they’ll play all season.

But that’s also the point about why this team will have a shot the rest of the way. The defense is playing much better. And the quarterbacks they’ll face just aren’t up to that early standard.

• Speaking of quarterbacks who haven’t played up to standard, do you think there are some advertising executives who are a little unhappy right now with Cleveland quarterback Baker Mayfield?

Despite being on a bye last week, Mayfield still leads the NFL with 12 turnovers – 11 interceptions and one lost fumble. You probably shouldn’t have as many national television commercials as turnovers.

Don’t think that hasn’t played a factor in other teams getting up to play the Browns. They see Mayfield splashed all over their TVs after accomplishing, well, nothing.

It put a great big target on Mayfield – along with the magazine pieces that have been done on him – and he’s proven to be not ready for that kind of attention.

This week’s games

Steelers (minus 14) over Miami: The Dolphins have been outscored by an average of 35-10. Yes, they’ve been competitive the past couple of weeks, but that was against the Washington Redskins and Buffalo Bills, a terrible team and a division opponent. The Steelers are neither. And the Steelers have won seven consecutive Monday night games. They’ll use this as an opportunity to get their downfield passing going and should have a big advantage in the trenches. Take the Steelers, 30-10

N.Y. Jets (plus 6½) at Jacksonville: The Jets are better than they showed last week against the Patriots. And the Jaguars are certainly not the Patriots. In fact, their run defense is among the league’s worst. The Jets should be capable of keeping this within a touchdown. Take the Jets to cover in a 24-20 loss

Philadelphia (plus 2) at Buffalo:

Are the Bills good enough to be 6-1? Are the Eagles bad enough to be 3-5? That would be both team’s records if the Bills win this one. There’s no reason to trust the Bills’ passing game, even against Philadelphia’s shoddy pass defense. And the Eagles are very difficult to run against. Carson Wentz will find a way to win a low-scoring game. Take the Eagles, 20-17

L.A. Rams (minus 13) over Cincinnati: How in the world is that Bengals’ offensive line going to block Aaron Donald? Seriously, the Bengals could line up all five of their linemen in a row and Donald would still beat them. He might have six sacks in this game in London. This would look to be a game in which the Rams can name their score. Take the Rams, 34-6

Green Bay (minus 3½) over Kansas City: The Chiefs will be playing without Patrick Mahomes and their two best pass rushers, Chris Jones and Frank Clark. That could mean they’re in for a long day against Aaron Rodgers and a very tough Packers defense. The game is in Arrowhead Stadium, which gives the Chiefs a chance, but Rodgers should get the job done. Take the Packers, 27-17

Last Week: 2-3. Overall: 21-13