Kovacevic: A playoff would rank among Roethlisberger's great escapes

Let's dispense with any pretense right up front, as in literally right up front: Kendrick Green and everyone flanking him on the NFL's most miserable offensive line will get mauled yet again when the Steelers meet the Titans today, 1:02 p.m., at Heinz Field.

And I'm talking mutilation. Jeffery Simmons, Tennessee's superlative defensive end, will ragdoll these guys like a giddy child ripping through gifts on Christmas morning.

I'm talking this:

He's got 47 quarterback pressures, 7.5 sacks, five passes defensed, and that doesn't come close to quantifying the chaos he brings.

That's it. That's the matchup that matters today. And really, if we're being collectively candid with ourselves, it's the only matchup that'll matter the rest of the way. Meaning whichever mauler lines up for the opponents vs. whichever mauling victim. There remains no facet of football, not at any level, capable of overcoming the leaky line. It'll forever be the ultimate fatal flaw.

So no, to state the blatantly obvious, there won't be some grand celebration around here when the 2021 season ends. The local franchise has about as much chance of doing damage in the upcoming NFL playoffs as Urban Meyer's right leg.

But a grand sendoff?

Hm. Maybe that depends on the perspective.

See, when Ben Roethlisberger's done playing football a few weeks from now, all kinds of accolades will flow from all directions. They'll talk about his 63,414 passing yards (7th in NFL history), his 415 touchdown passes (8th), his 93.9 career passer rating (7th), his 243 games started for the same franchise (3rd) and, above all, of course, his two Super Bowl championships.

Me, I take a way simpler approach:

Yeah, that's where I'm headed these days. Because when I think of Ben's career, I zip right by the cumulative, counting stats and go right to all the comebacks. To all the magical moments, highlighted into eternity by the two above. To all the times he's salvaged victory from clear defeat. To ... heck, one could even include all his on-the-field escapes from oncoming defenders when he was still creating Ben-being-Ben plays from thin air.

The comeback's the trademark.

He's engineered 51 game-winning drives, trailing only Peyton Manning (54), Drew Brees (53) and Tom Brady (52). He's pulled off 39 fourth-quarter comebacks, trailing only Manning (43) and Brady (41). He's followed through on 63 wins in games decided by six or fewer points, trailing only Brady (69). And even now at age 39, when those on-the-field escapes are a faded memory, he's leading the NFL in game-winning drives in 2021 with five, which is to say nothing of what should've been the most beautiful of those drives, but for Pat Freiermuth being unable to cling to maybe his prettiest pass of the night in Minneapolis:

Ugh. Still stings, huh?

It should've been another signature comeback for the pile, one that would've been the franchise's biggest ever. And all Ben put together after the Vikings went up, 29-0, was this:

• Touchdown, 75-yard drive
• Touchdown, 42-yard drive
• Touchdown, 69-yard drive
• Punt, three-and-out
• Touchdown, 21-yard drive
• Time expired, 84-yard drive

Time hasn't expired on the season -- or his career -- yet, though it might feel that way with the Steelers at 6-6-1 and having no better than a 7% chance of making the playoffs. There's this game, plus three more against the Chiefs, Browns and Ravens, and the AFC's painfully illustrated for months now that any team can achieve anything any given Sunday.  

This, my friends, would be among Ben's most remarkable achievements.

This comeback.

In this circumstance.

To carry this deeply flawed team, to keep picking himself up from all the sacks and hits this line allows, to keep passing through the still-stark inability to run the ball even with a first-rounder in his backfield, to somehow outdo opponents that look infinitely better positioned ... this would be right up there.

I'm not making a prediction here. I'm not envisioning it at all, to be honest. But then, I can say the same for countless other settings over these past 18 years.

• COVID-19 restrictions on fans haven't changed for today, but stadium security's smartly putting out the above advisory to get to the gates comfortably early.

• That said, even if it's expected, it's nonetheless a deep disappointment that reporters will revert to doing interviews here today via Zoom calls. The Steelers made that call yesterday "given the recent increase in positive cases across the country and in our NFL environment."

COVID cases are, indeed, up. It's anticipated they'll go up all the more in the weeks ahead because of the omicron variant that only now is hitting the United States and, in turn, our hospital systems will be strained. But my hope, sports and reporting completely aside, is that we'll soon reach a point where the severity of the illness is the barometer rather than case counts. 

We aren't quite there yet, but I can hope.

• The importance of this game to the Steelers can't be overstated: They aren't winning next weekend in Kansas City, and they've got to have nine wins to take the AFC North. That means sweeping the other three.

• It feels unclean to rip the offensive line without doing likewise to the defensive line ... except that the latter at least has lack of availability as an excuse. There aren't many defenses in the league that could overcome losing Stephon Tuitt and Tyson Alualu within a 3-4 scheme, and this one sure hasn't.

But if the Titans are able to run anywhere near as easily as the Vikings were, missing Derrick Henry as well as field-stretching receiver A.J. Brown, that'll represent a new low. And it'll be beyond any excuses.

Figure it out. Stack 12 in the box. Do whatever it takes. If Ryan Tannehill rips off a pass or two, yippee. Just can't get gashed again.

• Also from the figure-it-out category: No-huddle from front to finish. No one cares how clever the coordinator is. Just the results. And so far this season, the results are night and day between no-huddle and all else.

• If I'm Mike Tomlin and/or Matt Canada, I'm scripting James Washington into my primary offensive plans, then Chase Claypool if that can't click. Not just because of Claypool's silliness. Liked a good bit of what I saw in Washington, who, in fairness, hasn't exactly been afforded a chance to spread his combat-catching wings, averaging a mere three targets per game.

Also, I don't trust Claypool to keep his composure the first time one of the Titans pokes at his facemask. Which they'll do at the first opportunity.

• I don't make a habit of finger-wagging regarding injuries, but Joe Haden's mid-foot sprain, sustained Nov. 14 against the Lions, was deemed to be "not serious" a day later by an ESPN report that undoubtedly was originating with Haden's agent.

Been a month. Full participant in practice Friday. Season's on the line. Time to lace up.

• Player I expect to elevate: Diontae Johnson.

• Player I expect to evaporate: Devin Bush.

• If Robert Spillane isn't one of the Steelers' top handful of players today, they don't win. He's dragging along more baggage on his position's depth chart than anyone.

• It'd be OK if Najee Harris made his way into that handful, as well. Dogged and determined as he's been behind that line, he still hasn't made anywhere near the isolated difference in any game this season that we've seen from Joe Mixon, Dalvin Cook and others in recent weeks.

That's not a criticism. I'm aware of the contexts. Just saying it's OK to exceed expectations on occasion.

• What's the AFC North outlook?

Um ...

Seems attainable, right?

Full month of play ahead with head-to-head remaining against Cleveland and Baltimore?

The Browns and Ravens both falling apart?

Yeah, no.

This might be naive, but I still see Joe Burrow and the Bengals as the problem. Their remaining schedule's about the same as the Steelers' -- Broncos, Ravens, Chiefs, Browns -- but they swept the Steelers, they didn't tie the Lions, and they've got the talent to take three of four.

Then again, they're the Bengals.

• These will be Ben's last games. Be certain of that. Not to be taken for granted, regardless of outcome. This is one of the top 10 athletes our city's ever known, in addition to being the No. 1 performer at his sport's most important position, and that's not small praise.

• Thanks for reading, as always. Dale Lolley and I will have tons more, obviously, once this is done.