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"We keep saying when I talk to you all every week, it's a must
win," he said Tuesday. "Because of the hole or whatever you want
to say that we've kind of dug ourselves into, even though we're
not really in the hole because of the way the AFC is, we're
still behind some teams and have to do some work."
At 6-5-1, the Steelers are presently on the outside looking in
with five games left in the season, making their trip to
Minnesota on Thursday night a crucial game. Thanks to that home
tie last month with 1-10-1 Detroit, even a win against the
Vikings would leave Pittsburgh trailing the Chargers, Bengals
and Bills in the wild-card standings.
That's why Pittsburgh's 20-19 win Sunday over AFC North rival
Baltimore was so critical. A loss would have ended any realistic
hopes of making the playoffs, even in a 17-game season. The
victory gave the Steelers a path, even though their last four
games are against teams with records of at least .500.
And this one comes against a foe that is arguably even more
desperate than them.
Minnesota (5-7) also failed to take advantage of a date with the
Lions, as the Vikings became Detroit's first victim of a
terrible season on Sunday. The Vikings fell 29-27 in Detroit
when Jared Goff hit Amon-Ra St. Brown for an 11-yard touchdown
pass on the game's last play.
Defense was Minnesota's major issue. On a day where its offense
finished with 426 total yards, including 340 yards and two
touchdowns from quarterback Kirk Cousins, the defense was carved
up by Goff for 296 yards and three scores.
Poor coverage and a lack of pass rush marked the final drive: On
12 pass plays, the Vikings mustered real pressure on Goff just
once, and that was only with help of a blitz.
"Weren't tight enough in coverage," safety Harrison Smith said
of the last drive. "He did make some good throws, but whether
our (pattern) matches were a little off or we weren't tight
enough, it was kind of a mixture of those things."
Minnesota should have reinforcements on defense Thursday night.
Cornerback Patrick Peterson (COVID-19) and linebacker Anthony
Barr (knee, hamstring) were full participants at practice this
week, meaning they'll likely play.
Running back Dalvin Cook (shoulder) was a limited participant
after sitting out against the Lions, but reportedly will play.
Wide receiver Adam Thielen (ankle) didn't practice this week and
has been ruled out.
The Vikings enter this one a game behind Washington and San
Francisco for the final NFC playoff spot. Their schedule
features two remaining games with Chicago along with contests
against playoff-bound teams in the Los Angeles Rams and Green
Bay Packers.
This will be the only 19th meeting all-time between the teams,
including Super Bowl IX won by the Steelers 16-6. The series is
tied at nine, with Pittsburgh winning the most recent meeting
26-9 win in 2017 behind two touchdown passes by Roethlisberger.
--Field Level Media
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