The Steelers won because of their offense. Not because their offense simply contributed to a winning performance. Not as a result of their offense taking advantage of field position created by big plays from the defense or blocked punts from special teams. Nor was it in spite of their offense.
No, when their 30-23 victory over Seattle on Dec. 31 is analyzed, the only logical conclusion, the only accurate way of characterizing what happened at Lumen Field is that the offense put the team on its back and carried it to a win the Steelers absolutely had to have. In the penultimate week of a regular season that has included an in-season change at offensive coordinator, the benching of the veteran backup quarterback for performance, 10 games of 20-or-fewer points scored, and a growing level of frustration among the players, the Steelers won a critical
