Steelers keep doing just enough to win, even if it is ugly

Thanks to their 24-17 win over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves with a 4-2 record and are keeping pace with the rest of the AFC North in what is becoming a very tight divisional race. 

They are 4-2 despite the fact there is nothing overly impressive about the way they play or win games and each win keeps getting narrower and uglier than the one that preceded it. 

Sunday's game was no different, as they needed to rely on another big second half (and fourth quarter) performance to pull ahead late and hold on. 

The common theme for them every week is an offense that can never seem to get going until it absolutely has to in the fourth quarter. Going into the final quarter of Sunday's game, the Steelers had barely topped the 100-yard mark offensively, while their only touchdown of the game at that point was set up by a T.J. Watt interception that started their drive at the Rams' eight-yard line. 

But as soon as the game rolled over into the fourth, the offensive finally came to life. Quarterback Kenny Pickett made big throws, the offensive line started to maul in the running game and they engineered two touchdown drives – as well as a successful series to close out the game – by getting a couple of game-clinching first downs. 

Of Pittsburgh's four wins, only their Week 3 game in Las Vegas was convincing and didn't rely on a bunch of fluky plays to produce a win.

In their Week 2 win over Cleveland, they needed a pair of defensive touchdowns.

They beat Baltimore two weeks ago going into their bye thanks to the Ravens dropping seven passes and Lamar Jackson turning the ball over twice, as well as a bizarre game-management decision by John Harbaugh at the end of the first half. 

This week it was Rams kicker Brett Maher missing three kicks (including two field goals) and the defense doing enough to keep the game close long for enough for the offense to finally make some plays. 

Even with their late-game clutch plays, the Steelers offense still ranks among the worst in the NFL. Injuries have certainly impacted that, but so has a lack of development from second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett and inconsistent offensive line play. 

The defense is supposed to be the strength of the team, but they sometimes struggle against the run and tend to give up big plays in the passing game.

What the Steelers do well, however, is force turnovers, create sacks and make enough splash plays (on both sides of the ball) to swing close games in their favor. It might not be sustainable long term. It certainly is not fun to watch. It is working for them right now, though. 

The Steelers are not only 4-2 after Sunday's win, but they are also set to begin a stretch of three consecutive home games against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Green Bay Packers and Tennessee Titans. There is an opportunity there for them to potentially get on a little bit of roll and really keep pace in the AFC North race.