When Ben Roethlisberger described Sunday's loss to the Chargers as "big," he wasn't alone in his thinking. Mike Tomlin opened his news conference Tuesday afternoon and acknowledged the Steelers are basically in playoff mode now as they prepare to play the Bengals on Sunday afternoon in Cincinnati.
"We're not going to downplay it," Tomlin said. "This is significant AFC North football for us. Very similar to the circumstances we were in a couple of weeks ago when we were readying ourselves to go to Cleveland. These games are big. You're not going to backdoor your way into the single-elimination tournament. You have to go on the road and win games in this division. The sugar on top is they were able to come into our place and win. We're not going to play it cool. We're going to acknowledge it and be at our best."
The Steelers entered the Chargers game solidly in playoff position as the No. 5 seed in the AFC and had a 39% chance of making the playoffs. But when the Chargers scored late to earn a 41-37 victory, they dealt a serious blow to the Steelers' chances of making the postseason.
The Steelers, who are now ninth in the AFC, have just a 22% chance to qualify, according to fivethrityeight.com.
To borrow an old line from Tomlin, the Steelers are going to have to unleash hell in December (and in late November and January, too) to avoid missing the playoffs for third time in the past four years.
The chances are slim because of the daunting schedule that lies ahead. The seven opponents remaining on the schedule all are .500 or better. Four of the games are against teams that are currently in first place in their division (the Steelers have to play the Ravens twice) and five of them are currently in playoff position.
The uphill climb begins Sunday in Cincinnati against a Bengals team that whipped the Steelers 24-10 at Heinz Field in September. It's the first of four remaining games left against AFC North division foes.
If the Steelers want to entertain any remote chances of repeating as division champions, they pretty much have to win. Their odds of winning back-to-back division titles at the moment stand at 7%.
"There's still some time left," Roethlisberger said. "We're just going to have to get it figured out and play our best football down the home stretch. That's what it's all about. It's when can you play your best football? We have a few games left. We have a lot of division games coming."
According to nflplayoffscenarios.com, this is the latest in a season that an entire division has been above .500 since 2014, when all four AFC North teams also were above .500. Every team in the division remains in contention for the division crown.
Tomlin the play caller
First-year offensive coordinator Matt Canada has come under fire for his play selection at some critical junctures in games in recent weeks. That was the case again on Sunday night in Los Angeles when the Steelers failed to score when they had 1st-and-goal from the 5-yard line in the first quarter.
That sequence is getting most of the attention because it was the second week in a row the Steelers failed to score a touchdown after getting 1st-and-goal at the 5. But the play calling when the Steelers got the ball back with 3:43 remaining in the game with the score tied at 34 was just as questionable.
Roethlisberger threw three straight incomplete passes and took only 20 seconds off the clock before the Steelers kicked the go-ahead field goal, leaving the Chargers plenty of time to go on their final game-winning drive.
If all the Steelers did was run three consecutive times before kicking the field goal, they at least would have forced the Chargers to call their remaining timeouts, which in turn could have changed how they approached their final series.
So Tomlin was asked Tuesday how much he is involved in the offense.
"Highly," he said. "Whatever unit is on the field, I'm highly involved in and responsible for."
Does he suggest plays?
"Certainly," he said. "I do more than suggest, just to be clear at times."
On Bush's struggles
Inside linebacker Devin Bush had a couple of high-profile mistakes in the Chargers game, including giving up a touchdown pass to Austin Ekeler. Opposing quarterbacks have a 109 rating against him when he's in coverage and Bush's play against the run has been equally disappointing.
Bush is 13 months removed from reconstructive knee surgery and he said his recovery is at least partially responsible for his level of play through the first 10 games of the season.
"It's been spotty at times," Tomlin said of Bush's play. "It hasn't been at the level of consistency he would like or we would like. But he's had some challenges from a health standpoint and working his way back from the injury he had.
"You look at some similar injuries around the league, and they're participating much less. I saw Bud Dupree was placed on IR. Zach Banner on our team is still working his way back. We want more from him. He wants more from himself, but we are appreciative that he's put himself in position to be available and is playing as much as he is."
