The Steelers held on this past Sunday and won 27-20 over the Atlanta Falcons. The Steelers never trailed and big plays were made on both sides of the ball and now with a win next week, the Steelers can clinch at least a wild card spot in the playoffs. The offense stayed consistent and played pretty well and the defense made important stops to keep the game in their favor.

Big Ben had a solid game, throwing for over 300 yards for the eighth time this season. Le’Veon Bell only managed 47 yards on the ground but scored two touchdowns and he was key in the passing game and picked up some big gains. The offense was able to run out the last five minutes of the gain with a beautiful drive that ended in a 26-yard pass to Heath Miller on third and one to seal the deal. It was nice to see the offense play a strong game all around and control the lead for the entire time.

William Gay made a huge play on the defensive side of the ball by taking an interception back 52 yards for a touchdown. It certainly boosts the Steelers’ chances when the defense comes up with a score. The defense bent but did not break. They gave up a lot of yards but forced field goals instead of giving up touchdowns on big drives. The defense still needs to tighten up and get better. Giving up that many yards too much may cause problems in winning games.

This was a solid game for the Steelers and now they can control their playoff hopes with a win against the Chiefs. If they win out, they will most likely win the division. The defense needs to hold their own and keep making more plays and the offense just needs to stay consistent and keep rolling.

Positives & Negatives:

Positives: The Offense. Bell had a great game and Ben went 27 for 35 and had 360 yards through the air. Very efficient and that will be key for the Steelers in securing a playoff spot. Also, Antonio Brown was great. He was targeted ten times and caught all ten passes for 123 yards. William Gay’s interception return was huge.

Negatives: The defense still gave up a ton of yards and that will kill them against stronger teams down the road.

Next Week’s Matchup: A home game against the Kansas City Chiefs. This game is huge and if the Steelers can pull out a victory, they can clinch a playoff spot. They will have to be on their toes and tackle well if they want to Jamaal Charles on the ground. Despite the Chiefs not having a great passing offense, that could change in a heartbeat against this secondary. The Steelers’ secondary needs to step up and make plays to help this team win. The Chiefs have a very tough defense as well. The Steelers’ offense must be physical and stay on their toes.

PS: As bad as the secondary may be, the Steelers lead the league interception returns for touchdowns with four of them! Three by William Gay!!!