The Steelers are scary ... if they can get in

[hawaiiansteeler]

Jets survive a close one, stay in wild card race

Posted by Michael David Smith on December 19, 2015

The Jets didn’t always look like a playoff team tonight in Dallas. But in the end, they did just enough to survive and remain in the AFC wild card race.

The Jets’ win over the Cowboys improved their record to 9-5, which currently puts them in the lead in the three-way wild card race with the Chiefs and Steelers, both of whom can also improve to 9-5 on Sunday. The Jets don’t control their playoff destiny — if the Chiefs and Steelers both win out, the Jets will be left out of the playoffs — but they needed this one, and they got it.

It wasn’t easy. The Jets fell behind early and struggled offensively, with Ryan Fitzpatrick not having one of his better games. And Jets kicker Randy Bullock missed both a field goal and an extra point in the first half. But the Jets got into field goal range in the final minute of the fourth quarter, and Bullock nailed the game-winning kick.

Cowboys quarterback Matt Cassel was benched after an ugly interception in the first quarter. Kellen Moore replaced Cassel and had a couple ugly interceptions of his own, and his final interception with just seconds remaining sealed the Cowboys’ fate. Still, Moore looked a little more competent than Cassel and probably did enough to keep the starting job for the final two weeks of the season.

It was not a great game for either team, but it was a good win for the Jets. When you’re fighting for a playoff spot, a win is a win.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...ild-card-race/

[86WARD]

That was an ugly game. It would've been nice to see Dallas win and give the Steelers a little cushion. Pittsburgh still needs to win out and controls their own destiny so that hasn't changed. Just win versus the Broncos.

With that loss versus the Jets, Dallas is officially eliminated from the playoffs.

[SteelerFanInStl]

Dallas just plain sucks. They should've won that game but they kept giving the ball back to the Jets. Their defense deserved better because they shut down the Jets.

The Jets don't look like a playoff team to me. They'll lose next week to the Patriots.

[Steeldude]

The Steelers are capable of easily beating any team in the NFL. The problem is they can be easily beaten by any team in the NFL.

[Mojouw]

The Steelers are capable of easily beating any team in the NFL. The problem is they can be easily beaten by any team in the NFL.

You can say this about all most any team in the league that is not the Cleveland Browns. In the age of salary cap driven parity and annual "worst-to-first and first-to worst" cycles, the phrase "any given Sunday" has never had more meaning.

[Count Steeler]

I think the trap game is this week in Baltimore. KC just put a beating on them, now we have to go in with a winner's mentality. Screw the rivalry bull shit and kick their asses. The goal is 40 points. Don't stop till you get there.

[SteelerFanInStl]

I was just watching the NFL Network and they asked "Which team is the biggest threat to the Patriots in the AFC?" Tomlinson said the Chiefs and Sanders said the Bengals. LOL! Neither of those teams is even a threat to the Steelers.

[Count Steeler]

I was just watching the NFL Network and they asked "Which team is the biggest threat to the Patriots in the AFC?" Tomlinson said the Chiefs and Sanders said the Bengals. LOL! Neither of those teams is even a threat to the Steelers.

Good. Keep the focus off the Steelers. Nothing to see here, we are just limping into the playoffs. We'll be one and done. The Chiefs and the Bengals are definitely the biggest threats.

[fansince'76]

Good. Keep the focus off the Steelers. Nothing to see here, we are just limping into the playoffs. We'll be one and done. The Chiefs and the Bengals are definitely the biggest threats.

This.

[tube517]

So, I read if the Steelers beat the Ratbirds and the Jets lose to the Cheats**, Steelers are in?

[polamalubeast]

So, I read if the Steelers beat the Ratbirds and the Jets lose to the Cheats**, Steelers are in?

Yes

[Craic]

I think the trap game is this week in Baltimore. KC just put a beating on them, now we have to go in with a winner's mentality. Screw the rivalry bull shit and kick their asses. The goal is 40 points. Don't stop till you get there.

I don't know, I don't think the Steelers will ever see a Ravens' game as a trap game. I could very well be wrong, but . . .

[Count Steeler]

I don't know, I don't think the Steelers will ever see a Ravens' game as a trap game. I could very well be wrong, but . . .

I'm just thinking back to how conservative they were the first game at Heinz. They gave the Ravens way too much respect and ended up giving them the game. The game could have been over at the start of the 4th quarter.

So my point is, these are not the Ravens of rivalry past, so don't treat them that way. Bury them. And don't feel bad about it.

[Craic]

I'm just thinking back to how conservative they were the first game at Heinz. They gave the Ravens way too much respect and ended up giving them the game. The game could have been over at the start of the 4th quarter.

So my point is, these are not the Ravens of rivalry past, so don't treat them that way. Bury them. And don't feel bad about it.

True, but we were also conservative because of our QB situation, which is decidedly not the same this time. But either way, yeah, bury them right from the start.

[HollywoodSteel]

I don't think it's a trap game in the conventional sense of a good team, coming of a huge win, looking past a bad team at bad team's field (usually after bad team comes off a loss) so good team just isn't quite all there emotionally and mentally. This is our most hated division rival (what the Bengal's are trying to be with their fake tough, trying too hard, imitation of the Ravens). The Steelers will never look past the Ravens no matter what anyone's record is. But it's a worrisome game because this game will be the Ravens' Super Bowl. They are a proud organization that is entirely irrelevant right now. This game is all they have to come away from this nightmare season with a shred of dignity. And you know this is what Jon Harbaugh (as well as injured Ravens like Suggs who lives for this rivalry) will be hammering into their heads. "If we can sweep the Steelers and shatter their playoff dreams, with all the injuries heaped on us, then we can hold our heads high going into the off season."

Now it's possible that the Steelers have too much talent to lose to this shell of the Ravens, but what scares me are potential injuries inflicted on us by a team that hates us more than they love themselves, and now with nothing to lose. I'm just glad this game was flexed out of the night game where the Ravens would be under the lights in front of the whole nation with something to prove.

I was getting nervous about injuries in the Bengals game once it got crazy, but the Bengals were never gonna go kamikaze on us because they have just as much to lose as we do (aside from one idiot in Tiger stripes who wants to be the new Suggs. But you can't try like a wanna be to be a Suggs or Harrison. Those guys are the real deal because they don't have to wear a fake intimidation costume. They just are who they are - the real deal). The Ravens have nothing to lose by trying to cripple us. Is it just me who thinks about this dumb stuff, or is there something to it?

[teegre]

I don't know, I don't think the Steelers will ever see a Ravens' game as a trap game. I could very well be wrong, but . . .

Exactly.

On on the flip side, due to that mirrored hatred, the Ravens will come out in full force.

Ultimately, it'll come down to the QBs. Clausen is just as likely to throw an INT as he is a completion. Whereas, BB will shred that putrid Ravens secondary.

Clausen: 21/39 for 275, 2 TDs, 2 INTs
BB: 29/51 for 460, 5 TDs

Steelers: 41
Ravens: 17

[HollywoodSteel]

The other (probably only in my crazy head) thing thing I could see driving the Ravens here is less about us, and more about the Bengals thinking they've become the division's new Ravens. The Bengals have obviously leapfrogged them in the winning football department, but after that crazy physical game they instigated against us, it's obvious that the Bengals are trying to present themselves as the tough, intimidating arch enemy of the always tough Steelers, worthy of the Steelers respect as fellow tough guys. Now that's just going too far. The Ravens and Steelers both have down years occasionally, but the rivalry is always there, and is always the two big bad asses of the division, if not the entire NFL. The Bengals and Browns are only rivals in the technical sense, not part of the all out war for being crowned that year's the king of intimidation mountain.

Now the objective truth is that the Bengals are not the soft, sometimes talented but never intimidating, team that they used to be. But they do seem like posers who want more than anything to steal the Steelers from the Ravens. I now that sounds kind of insane, and it could very well be in my head alone. Just wondering if this thought has crossed anyone else's mind.

[hawaiiansteeler]

beat the Ravens this Sunday while the Jets lose to the Pats* and we're in!

[ETL]

I was just watching the NFL Network and they asked "Which team is the biggest threat to the Patriots in the AFC?" Tomlinson said the Chiefs and Sanders said the Bengals. LOL! Neither of those teams is even a threat to the Steelers.

Cmon man. You left out what Tomlinson said just before he said the Chiefs. He said, "outside of The Steelers..." And Deion was just continuing that thought as well. Meaning besides the Steelers, who do you perceive as the threat to NE.

LT has always placed the Steelers high and has respected the Steelers organization for a long time.

[SteelerFanInStl]

Cmon man. You left out what Tomlinson said just before he said the Chiefs. He said, "outside of The Steelers..." And Deion was just continuing that thought as well. Meaning besides the Steelers, who do you perceive as the threat to NE.

LT has always placed the Steelers high and has respected the Steelers organization for a long time.

I didn't even hear that the first time. I had to go back and listen to it. The thing is, that wasn't the question. They just didn't want to talk about the Steelers.