Mark Madden: Steelers not yet as good as their record, but they have guts

When it comes to comebacks, it’s easy to confuse a last gasp with a new beginning.

Such is the case in the wake of the Steelers’ improbable 28-24 victory over Indianapolis at Heinz Field Sunday.

The Steelers trailed 24-7 early in the second half. The problems that have plagued them for the best part of two months were all too prevalent: A popgun offense that went three-and-out on three of its first five possessions, converted 1 of 6 third downs in the first half, and couldn’t cash in first-and-goal at Indianapolis’ 1. Drops. No semblance of a running game. A defense that gets sacks, takeaways and scored on. Coaching that flunked Time Management 101 yet again.

The Steelers looked dead. Not buried. That would be too dignified.

No, the corpse would rot for two more weeks. The worst-case scenario of starting 11-0, then losing out seemed imminent. Epitaph: “They were never as good as their record.”

Ben Roethlisberger gave a hokey halftime speech about the Steelers needing to have more fun. Did that have a positive effect?

Not as much as how Roethlisberger played, that’s for sure.

It was like Roethlisberger and Philip Rivers switched arms at halftime. The first half saw Roethlisberger limply push the ball: 11 of 20 for 100 yards and a passer rating of 68.3. The second half saw Roethlisberger zing it around like a kid: 16 of 22 for 209 yards, three touchdowns and a passer rating of 136.2.

Roethlisberger was so bad in the first half, “Mason Rudolph” was trending on Twitter.

Roethlisberger’s amazing second-half performance went beyond numbers. The ball suddenly had sizzle, like it did a hit of crystal meth in the locker room.

Roethlisberger was 1 for 14 on passes of 10 yards or more in the Steelers’ prior game, the loss at Cincinnati.

On the fourth pass of the second half Sunday, Roethlisberger hit Chase Claypool for 34 yards. On the first pass of the next possession, he found Diontae Johnson for a 39-yard touchdown. Roethlisberger stopped being tentative. So did the Steelers’ offense.

It looked like fun.

Those throws and the threat of more like them moved the Colts’ safeties back. That opened space up underneath.

You know the rest: Eric Ebron catches a 5-yard touchdown. JuJu Smith-Schuster hauls in a 25-yard touchdown, then dances to celebrate.

When something tangible gets done, let my dawg dance. Smith-Schuster’s postgame TikTok was epic: A multi-player production number reminiscent of really clumsy Rockettes.

The Steelers clinched the AFC North title by winning. Losing to Indianapolis would not have denied them that, because the New York Jets beat Cleveland. How it happened is better, though. I had a twisted vision of the locker room breaking out their “Won Not Done” division championship T-shirts and perhaps a little bit of the bubbly after losing a fourth straight.

The Steelers can’t get the AFC’s bye. As AFC North winner, they get a home game in the wild-card round. Their regular-season finale at Cleveland will only be for seeding. Finishing as the No. 2 seed guarantees them a home game in the divisional round if they win their wild-card game. But the Steelers can’t get the No. 2 seed unless Buffalo loses.

Will Tomlin play his regulars at Cleveland? Specifically, will he use Roethlisberger?

Tough call.

It’s folly to put your 38-year-old quarterback at risk in a game that has little meaning, especially when the Steelers never really had a bye week. But the second half vs. Indianapolis was Roethlisberger’s first truly good performance since a home victory over Cincinnati Nov. 15. It has to be tempting to let him build on that, at least for a half.

Have the Steelers solved their recent problems? It’s difficult to assume that based on one half.

Could the Steelers beat Kansas City in a playoff game? No, and they should also be concerned about Buffalo. A wild-card game matchup with an AFC North foe would be nervy, too.

Are the Steelers as good as their record? Probably not.

But their second-half performance against a decent Indianapolis team combines with Roethlisberger’s resurgence to at least give them reasonable hope for winning a playoff game.

It also proved they have guts. Those come in handy this time of year.