It has been a rough start to the season for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The team entered a Week 6 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a four game losing streak and found themselves at the bottom of the AFC North. With that said, after a huge upset victory, they still remain in the basement of the division, but a Baltimore Ravens loss on Sunday put the Steelers within only one game of the division lead. A loss against Tampa Bay and a brutal 1-5 record would have seriously affected an already disappointed locker room. The team as a whole stepped up and secured a crucial victory.
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman, Larry Ogunjobi (#99) participates during a game at Acrisure Stadium against the New York Jets on Oct. 2, 2022. | Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
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It all started with the defense. Head coach, Mike Tomlin specifically gave a shout out to newcomer, Larry Ogunjobi. The defensive lineman was a force all day and consistently wreaking havoc on the field.
"How many times you see Larry Ogunjobi in the backfield in those moments? I'm just appreciative of the strain and effort of the men," Tomlin said.
Many other defenders stepped up including Cameron Heyward, Myles Jack, Terrell Edmunds and Arthur Maulet. Pittsburgh will now continue in the month of October with more tasks ahead.
The Steelers have a tough schedule going forward with the next two games coming on the road against the Miami Dolphins and Philadelphia Eagles. Both games are not going to be easy, and a 1-7 record a the end of October would certainly have throw in the surrender flag halfway through the year. The win against the Buccaneers now puts the team back in the thick of things in the division and gives them a chance to somehow sneak into the playoffs in a few months.
Tomlin did not sugarcoat the fact that the team is still 2-4 and has a ton of work to do if they want to be competitive the next few months.
"Where we are is more than one good day, one good plan, one good winning performance in terms of working our way back to respectability and so we are appreciative of the day, but we still understand exactly where we are and we ain't running away from it. We're going to continue to run to it and get better and prepare for our next opportunity."
Steelers Head Coach, Mike Tomlin at 2022 training camp in Latrobe, PA |Jordan Schofield/SteelerNation (@JSKO_PHOTO Twitter)
Heading into the game, the Steelers were missing almost their entire starting secondary due to injury and Pittsburgh's head coach was extremely complimentary of the guys that stepped up in the midst of adversity.
"I can't say enough about that secondary group we had out there today. It was a great opportunity for a lot of those guys. First opportunity in some instances, redemption in some instances, guys getting an opportunity back in the fold. Guys that hadn't been a part of us like Josh Jackson being one. Just can''t say enough about what they were able to do collectively. It's a challenge when you play Tom Brady."
Although Brady doesn't quite look like his normal self on the field, there is no doubt that multiple guys who weren't expected to contribute earlier in the season, played well and better than expected on Sunday. The win is a massive one for a team that was desperate for some kind of positive move forward after a very difficult start to the season. Let's not go and crown them the division champions, but with four divisional games left, nothing is out of the question. The win against Tampa was a gigantic one for the Steelers.
Did the win on Sunday save the Steelers season? Let us know in the comments below!
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