PITTSBURGH — Unsolicited, while answering a question about his personal performance, Steelers tight end Eric Ebron offered this on Monday morning, mere hours after the Steelers scored 27 points to beat the Jaguars and improved to 10-0.
"I should be better," he said. "I think our whole offense should be better."
It was the first of a number of enlightening quotes to come from Steelers players and coaches this past week as they prepared to play the Ravens.
About an hour later, coach Mike Tomlin, in response to a query about the challenges of facing a desperate division rival for the second time in a month, offered this: "I don't know. We are desperate, too. We're all desperate to win this week. I'd imagine they view us in the same way, or I imagine it would behoove them to do so. That's our attitude each and every week. We respect everyone and respect the level of desperation that everyone has and the urgency that everyone has, and we step into the stadium ready to match it."
Both were honest answers that gave keen insight into the mindset of the team. This game that once figured to decide the AFC North title doesn't have those stakes any longer, but it's nonetheless important to the Steelers.
Tomlin's quote and the subsequent message it delivered befits a coach whose team missed the playoffs the past two years.
"We're not satisfied with where we're at," veteran defensive end Cam Heyward said. "We haven't clinched anything. We have big goals in mind. For us to take our foot off the pedal, it would be useless."
The Steelers might be in a great spot sitting atop the AFC North by three games, but they have to keep winning if they want to keep the top seed in the AFC with the Chiefs (9-1) only a game behind.
Due to the NFL adding two more teams to the playoff field this year, only the top seed in each conference gets a bye in the first round of the playoffs. Earning the No. 1 seed has always meant an edge because home-field advantage throughout the playoffs came with it, but now it means more — especially in a loaded AFC that boasts a bunch of Super Bowl contenders.
The Steelers showed a healthy amount of respect toward the Ravens this past week, but this game has taken on a different meaning for both teams. The Steelers have a nearly insurmountable lead in the division while the Ravens, after losing three of their past four, are on the outside looking in at the playoffs.
While the Ravens have to scratch and claw to find their way back into the postseason, the Steelers have their sights set on the No. 1 seed in the AFC, which brings us back to Ebron and what he said. He made his comments on the offense after the Steelers became only the second team in the NFL this season to score 24 points or more in each of their first 10 games.
The Steelers, in fact, are fourth in the league in scoring, averaging 29.8 points per game. Only the Packers, Seahawks and Chiefs are scoring more.
Ebron was asked the obvious follow-up question: How can the offense improve?
And it was apparent what he did on Sunday night when the Steelers got back from Jacksonville. Like many NFL fans, he watched the Chiefs beat the Raiders, 35-31.
"If we can't score points every drive like Kansas City did last night ... that's our goal," he said. "When we touch the football we want to be able to score at any time because there are offenses out there that can do such. And if we want to ultimately fulfill our purpose, we must do that. I'm not saying we're bad. We're not doing bad statistically. But we want to do better. That's just how it is."
Whoever thought Ravens week would bring a reference to the Chiefs and matching Patrick Mahomes point for point? The Steelers don't play the Chiefs during the regular season. The only time it can happen is in the playoffs.
Ebron's response wasn't demeaning the rivalry or this game's importance; it merely cast a light on the vastly different circumstances the teams have at this juncture of the season. And he hasn't been the only player bemoaning the offense's lack of production. In reality, he might have been taking a cue from his quarterback.
"We have to put more points on the board," Ben Roethlisberger said moments after the Jaguars game ended. "I know the scoreboard says what it does, but there were too many times we punted today, and we didn't do enough. Offensively, we're happy we got the win, but we know that we have to be better."
Whether the Steelers beat the Ravens on Tuesday night and remain undefeated or not, another Tomlin quote hovers over this team as the calendar turns to December:
"The only thing perfect about us is our record."
The acknowledgement of their imperfections could serve the Steelers well as the postseason approaches.
