Steelers Central

The Drought Ends Here

On this episode of Steelers Central, it's time to preview the Steelers' Wild matchup vs. the Texans to cap off the first weekend of playoff football. This game will be a defensive, low-scoring slugfest where points will be a premium. The keys to deciding this game will be turnovers and the play of both teams in the trenches to control the clock. Speaking of the trenches, the Steelers OTs vs the Texans EDGEs will be the biggest matchup of the game. If the Steelers want to avoid this, they will need to win on the interior against the Texans' DTs. For the Texans, despite not allowing sacks, they rank 30th in pass block win rate, and face the 6th-ranked defense in sacks, and have seven players with over three sacks. They must give Stroud time to throw, as they are not a running football team. Nico Collins and JPJ will be a matchup to watch all game long, as the last time these two faced off, Collins had 168 yards and two TDs, although Porter Jr. was not a starter. The results of this game hinge on all of those matchups above, as well as some unfortunate streaks and results for both teams. The Steelers have not won a playoff game since 2016, but have won 23 straight home MNF games. The Texans have never won a road playoff game, and dome teams are 1-14 in games where the kickoff temperature is below 40 degrees, but they have won nine straight games. I'll tell you which team's streaks will end and why. If the Steelers do lose, just how much danger is Mike Tomlin's job in? Spoiler, he'll be the HC for at least next season, but I will tell you my reasoning on why next year could be his last. 0:00-11:52 Steelers vs Texans: Keys to the Game 11:53-26:53 Steelers vs Texans: Matchups to Watch 26:54-33:25 Steelers Game Prediction 33:26-44:49 Mike Tomlin's Job Safety

Wide Right

We're back with another episode of Steelers Central, talking about the rollercoaster of a win for the Pittsburgh Steelers to clinch the AFC North and give the Steelers their first division title since 2020. We'll break down how the game went from 23 combined points in the first three quarters to 27 points in the last 10 minutes of a game that included a missed XP and a missed go-ahead FG. For Pittsburgh, key contributors to their victories included Aaron Rodgers and Cam Heyward turning back the clock, Kenneth Gainwell and Jaylen Warren running hard, and Calvin Austin and Pat Friermuth making explosive plays in the passing game. On the other side, a Chris Boswell missed kick, a couple of sloppy plays from Jalen Ramsey, and an Alex Highsmith and Keeanu Benton missed sack from going home. 0:00-19:57 Steelers vs Ravens Breakdown/Reaction 19:58-36:41 Steelers vs Ravens Winners and Losers

Motor City Fireworks

From punching fans to a lateral TD and finally an OPI call that negated the TD, it was a wild outing in Detroit, resulting in the Steelers' 29-24 victory over the Lions. The Steelers and Mike Tomlin showed the world that they can beat a good team in December, and shut down the fifth-best run game in the NFL, holding them to under 30 rushing yards while rushing for over 200 themselves. I'll explain why this is such a momentous victory, and whether this is a serious team moving forward into the playoffs. The RBs and the offensive and defensive lines were why the Steelers were able to control this game handily, while Aaron Rodgers and JPJ's contributions allowed them to close it out. DK Metcalf punching a fan, Darnell Washington's untimely gaffe, and Asante Samuel Jr. getting burnt also kept this game closer than it needed to be. Check out this episode to see who else were winners and losers in the Steelers' victory against the Lions. 0:00-23:20 Steelers vs Lions Reaction 23:21-41:07 Steelers vs Lions: Winners and Losers

Motor City Upset

On this episode of Steelers Central, two banged-up squads clash in a battle for playoff positioning. The Lions will be looking for their first win against Pittsburgh since 1998, when Charlie Batch was the QB in a 19-16 Thanksgiving Day victory. This will be a battle of wills between two teams who look to control the LOS. The Lions will attempt to dominate with Gibbs and Montgomery, while the Steelers counter with Derrick Harmon's return to the lineup. On the other hand, the Steelers must exploit a secondary that could be missing both of its starting safeties and its star corner, given their limited array of weapons. Also, I'll explain why getting to Jared Goff in this game is a must. On the matchup side of things, Jahmyr Gibbs is a must shut down for the Steelers' ILBs. In his last six games, he has alternated between three-TD games and zero-TD games. In wins this season, he has averaged 102 RY; in losses, 42 RY. The Steelers must tackle him well in space, or he will gash them. In the trenches, Fautanu and Cook vs Hitch and Muhammad will be a must-watch on the outside with Lions DT Alim McNeill out. Amon-Ra and Jameson Williams vs. this secondary will also determine the Lions' success, as Brown will see a high number of targets and Jame-O will try to spread the field against a Steelers defense that has had recent success in the secondary. Tune in to see what other matchups will determine this game's outcome. As for the outcome of this game, I don't see any way the Steelers come out of this game as winners. While I do see this game being close, I don't see the Steelers having enough firepower to overcome the Lions. 0:00-15:18 Steelers vs Lions: Keys to Victory 15:19-37:53 Steelers vs. Lions: Matchups to Watch 37:54-41:54 Steelers vs Lions Gametime Predictions

Home Monday Night Supremacy

The Steelers finally shook the monkey off their back. They won their first primetime game in over a year, ironically, since their last home MNF win in October of 2024 against the New York Giants, making it 23 straight wins at home on MNF in convincing fashion despite the 28-15 score. It took a while for the Steelers offense to get going, but when they got going, they could not be stopped, scoring four straight TDS, surpassing their number from last year with three games left to play, outsnapping their opponent for the first time this season, and controlling TOP with their dominant run game. Aaron completed the highest percentage of his passes in his career with 85%. Aaron was undoubtedly one of the Steelers' winners of this game, along with key contributions from Kenneth Gainwell and DK Metcalf on the offensive side of the ball, and Patrick Queen and Asante Samuel, who recorded his first Steelers INT on the defensive side of the ball. 0:00-18:37 Steelers vs Dolphins Breakdown 18:38-32:27 Steelers vs Dolphins Winners and Losers