Welcome back to another edition of 5 Questions, a weekly collaboration with other SB Nation sites to preview the Ravens’ upcoming matchups. This week, the Ravens are playing the Pittsburgh Steelers, so Ryland Bickley of Behind The Steel Curtain on hand to answer Baltimore Beatdown’s questions about Week 18.
1. One perception of the Steelers is that Mike Tomlin keeps the team good enough for winning seasons, but their quarterback issues catch up to them in the playoffs. That keeps Pittsburgh from getting
a high enough draft pick to get a young franchise QB. How valid is that perception?
That’s a valid perception. Where the debate tends to lie among Steeler fans is whether Tomlin is more responsible for the always winning part or the not winning enough part.
It’s a nuanced topic; I’ve written and read plenty of articles about it. Ultimately, Tomlin’s ability to keep his teams out of the gutter is nothing short of impressive. We see a lot of teams “tank” and never find their way back to relevance. Not Pittsburgh. Even in the frustrations of recent seasons, the team hasn’t always looked too far off from being an actual contender, and there’s an argument to be made Tomlin is just a franchise quarterback away from regaining his status as one of the league’s top coaches — of course, the irony being his teams have been too good to land one in recent seasons.
That said, I’m of the opinion that the Tomlin way has grown a bit stale in Pittsburgh, especially regarding his assistant coach hirings. But I’d still take him before well over half of the current head coaches in the NFL. However, when the team hasn’t won a playoff game since the 2016-17 season and keeps falling into the same ruts, it has to fall on the shoulders of the head coach eventually.
2. Why does the Steelers run defense struggle so much against the Ravens while generally dominating other opponents?
Some of it is probably that the Ravens know this Steelers defense well. However, the addition of Derrick Henry to the Baltimore backfield has given the Ravens two elite rushing threats — often going in opposite directions in a zone read — that has put far more stress on the Steelers’ usual strategy. That’s been the biggest difference maker.
However, there could probably be some more context with that stat. While Pittsburgh has certainly struggled with the Ravens’ rushing attack in the last three matchups, those were during bad run defense stretches for the team in general. Now, rookie defensive tackle Derrick Harmon is coming into his own and the defense has smoothed out a lot of the problems that plagued it earlier in the season. That’s not to say the Henry/Jackson combination won’t be a problem once again, but the Pittsburgh defense is definitely in a better spot this time around.
3. With D.K. Metcalf out, how will Arthur Smith keep the Steelers’ pass game humming?
Without Metcalf last week against the Browns, it didn’t hum much at all. Frankly, the Steelers don’t have another receiver close to Metcalf’s talent level, and it’s handicapped the offense in a big way. Adam Thielen is still a plus blocker and a reliable target, but he can’t really separate anymore. Marquez Valdes-Scantling still has some legitimate speed, but remains an inconsistent player who wasn’t on the same page as his quarterback more often than not last week. Calvin Austin III is another speed threat who’s had a down year, struggling with physical coverage and drops.
If the Steelers want to succeed in the passing game on Sunday night, it’ll come down to using tight end Pat Freiermuth, who’s the offense’s second-best pass catcher behind Metcalf, more often, connecting on a few downfield throws, and Aaron Rodgers trusting the scheme more than individual one-on-ones. There’s a world where Pittsburgh is able to move the ball enough through the air to get a win, but I wouldn’t be particularly worried about the Ravens’ secondary this week.
4. How has the Aaron Rodgers Experience been this season? Do you envision him re-signing in Pittsburgh next year?
It’s had its ups and downs, and given the upcoming quarterback class, the Steelers could probably do a whole lot worse than Aaron Rodgers next season. As evidenced by the Steelers’ record this year, Rodgers at his best is a quick-passing point guard who can still play winning football.
However, while he still has flashes of brilliance, Rodgers is another past-his-prime quarterback who won’t be getting the team any closer to a Super Bowl. He’s skittish in the pocket, not the explosive playmaker he used to be, and has some bad habits his diminishing arm and athleticism don’t hide as well anymore. At some point, whether the odds are good or bad, Pittsburgh needs to take a gamble on a younger, higher-upside option.
The team seems to like Rodgers so I could definitely see him coming back next year. My hope would be they go in the direction of someone such as Malik Willis.
5. Would the Steelers ever consider trading Mike Tomlin?
I would be shocked if this happens. But if the Steelers continue to go without a playoff win, Tomlin’s seat will get hot eventually. This season, there have been more rumors than I can ever remember seeing about the team moving on. But a trade would be antithetical to how the Steelers run their operations. If they move on from Tomlin, it’ll be the classic “mutual parting of ways,” or his contract will simply run out and not be renewed.
