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The Steelers finished the regular season with a 10-7 record and will be capped by the Titans and Dolphins on Sunday.
It may be the last time we see the Steelers on the field until August, but Pittsburgh has completed its purge of its hated foe by safely playing against the division rival Baltimore Ravens. The Steelers are currently waiting on the Jaguars vs. Titans and Bills vs. Dolphins to determine if they can make the playoffs.
It wasn’t a pretty game, but AFC North games rarely are like that this time of year. In a cold, rainy M&T Bank Stadium, the Steelers ran the ball past the Ravens’ defense and won 17-10. Najee Harris was once again a leading player for Pittsburgh. He gained 112 yards on 26 carries and scored the game’s first touchdown, becoming the first running back in Steelers history to rush for 1,000 yards in each of his first three seasons. It’s been great to watch Harris in action the last two weeks. Many, myself included, have had questions about Harris and whether he should be the running back who gets the majority of the carries for the Steelers. However, he averaged over four yards per carry this season and finished the year with back-to-back 100-yard games.
Mason Rudolph put together a great performance, taking the elements into consideration. He completed 90 percent of his passes. 90 percent. He finished the day 18-of-20 for 152 yards, including a 71-yard strike to Diontae Johnson for the game-winning touchdown. Rudolph was under pressure all day and had some snap-go alleys, but he overcame it all and came up big when the Steelers needed him the most. The Steelers ran the ball well and avoided too many costly mistakes. The fumble was nearly wiped out with a takeaway of his own, and he scored points both times each time he entered the red zone.
TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith were both great on the defensive side of the ball. Watt recorded two sacks, giving him a league-leading 19 sacks on the year. He left the game with what is now known as an MCL sprain. If the Steelers make the playoffs, we’ll obviously be monitoring that situation throughout this week. Highsmith was just as good, but it doesn’t show up on the stat sheet. Although he did not record a sack, he constantly put pressure on Huntley, forcing him to step up and get out of the pocket, which often led to wasted plays for the Ravens.
How wonderful that Eric Rowe is safe. Minkah Fitzpatrick missed his third straight game, but Lowe had another great game. He had a team-leading 12 tackles, had a pass deflection and forced a fumble in the fourth quarter that gave the Steelers a field goal to take a 17-7 lead. According to Nick Farabaugh: Steelers Okay. Lowe gave a speech to the team last night that really energized everyone. He’s only been with the Steelers for a short time, but he’s already a vocal leader. He hopes to remain with the Steelers in 2024.
Elandon Roberts had a match for Cody Rhodes. Some of you may understand, but for those who don’t, Rose tore his pectoral muscle in late 2022 and suffered a bruise that covers his entire right side while still playing at Hell in A.・In the cell match, he fought with his pectoralis major bone completely torn off. Frankly, his body was hard. The extent of Roberts’ pectoral muscle injury is unknown, but he appeared to be in constant pain and still fought through the match in terrible conditions. The remaining depth and great performances will be highlighted in tomorrow’s national team and joint projects. And believe me when I say Marcus Golden will be shown a lot of love, because he was great.
Now, about the bad points. Jalen Warren fumbled twice, which wasn’t good. He’s obviously been given the benefit of the doubt because his conditioning obviously played a big part in why it was the way it was and he’s been great all season. Dan Moore? Weft. The Steelers need to do something different at left tackle next season. He allowed Kyle Van Noy to interfere in the first half for a sack. Mason Cole needs to go too. It’s not a new conversation and he doesn’t have new problems. His snaps are always terrible and he gets hit too often to kill run plays. And last, but certainly not least, it would have been better for Presley Harvin to have played his last regular season game as a Steeler. The left tackle, center and punter all need to be addressed during the offseason.
If this is the last we see of the Steelers until the 2024 preseason, we’re in for an offseason full of questions. Will Mike Tomlin get an extension? Probably, but it’s not yet documented. Will they add an offensive lineman in free agency or wait until the draft? Hopefully it helps both of you. But the biggest, most obvious and polarizing question is, of course, what they’ll do at quarterback. With Mason Rudolph a free agent and Kenny Pickett underwhelming to say the least, there will be plenty of options to pursue.
To help you get through the long offseason hiatus, we’re here to cover it all, including on-the-ground reporting from the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine.
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