Must-win games over past 3 weeks have Steelers ready for playoffs, Mike Tomlin says
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Mike Tomlin would like to offer a correction to the postseason schedule the NFL released once the field was solidified Sunday night.
It has the Pittsburgh Steelers playing their playoff opener at 1 p.m. Sunday against the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park, N.Y.
The date, time and opponent all are true. It’s just that Tomlin doesn’t believe this will be the first taste of postseason experience for his team this weekend.
“There have been some hot moments the past three weeks,” Tomlin said Tuesday at his weekly news conference. “We’ve essentially been in the playoffs. We’ve known that. That has been the elephant in the room we’ve talked about. Hopefully, that experience shows, that urgency, that consistency of urgency shows in our play.”
It took a three-game winning streak and some help on the final weekend for the Steelers to earn the final wild-card spot and No. 7 seed in the AFC.
The reward is a trip to Buffalo, which has won five in a row to earn the AFC East title and No. 2 seed in the conference.
The matchup presents a tall order for the Steelers, who have lost their last four postseason games dating to the 2016 season. The most recent playoff loss was a 42-21 setback at Kansas City in 2021 when the Steelers also held the No. 7 seed.
Considering the alternative — being one of 18 teams watching all the postseason games on TV — the Steelers will take it.
“This game is crazy,” center Mason Cole said. “The highs and lows in a season are so dramatic. Five weeks ago, it felt like the world was ending. Here we are with a chance to go on the road and get a playoff victory. I know it’s been a while in Pittsburgh since we got a playoff win. We’re hoping to get it done this week.”
Cole is among several Steelers starters who will be getting their first taste of postseason experience Sunday. That list includes quarterback Mason Rudolph, who has watched other playoff games from the sidelines in his six seasons with the Steelers but will make his first postseason start Sunday.
After leading the Steelers to wins against Cincinnati, Seattle and Baltimore, Rudolph will get the nod over Kenny Pickett, who has sat out the past five games with an ankle injury. Pickett was healthy enough to be deemed the backup last weekend in Baltimore, and he is expected to fill that role again when the Steelers face the Bills.
“We’re simply staying with the hot hand and not disrupting the apple cart,” Tomlin said. “We’ve been in some tough circumstances. He’s delivered. We’ve delivered. We’ll continue in that vein.”
In each of his three starts, Rudolph has achieved a passer rating of 112 or higher, something no Steelers quarterback has done since Ben Roethlisberger in 2014. Rudolph also set the franchise single-game completion percentage mark against the Ravens when he completed 18 of 20 attempts despite a driving rain.
“He’s making good decisions,” Tomlin said. “But he’s working hard from a preparation standpoint that is showing. There is a cumulative body of work to speak of, too. Mason has been here a long time.”
Rudolph also has shown a knack for making the big play at the right time. Case in point was his 71-yard hookup with Diontae Johnson for the go-ahead touchdown and 14-7 lead against the Ravens. That came on the heels of Rudolph having five completions of at least 24 yards against Seattle and touchdown passes of 86 and 66 yards to George Pickens against Cincinnati.
“He’s got deep ball capability,” Tomlin said. “It’s an asset to his game. It’s a reason we went to him.”
While the Steelers won’t have All-Pro pass rusher T.J. Watt available because of a knee injury, they likely will get All-Pro free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick back from a three-game absence because of his own knee issues. Strong safety Damontae Kazee is eligible to return after serving a three-game suspension, providing depth to a secondary that featured converted corner Patrick Peterson and previously unemployed Eric Rowe starting at the safety spots the past three weeks.
“Playoff football is about utilizing everyone in a helmet,” Tomlin said. “I can’t say enough about that mindset, that perspective, that inclusive mindset in terms of all the people that are available to us. … If that creates a logjam in terms of talent or people available to us, then that is a good problem to have.”
As for the less experienced players who will be making their playoff debuts Sunday — the past three games notwithstanding — Tomlin is ready to do his part to make for a smooth transition.
“There has to be a first time for everything,” he said. “I’ll be excited about doing it with them.”