The one key thing driving Steelers' improbable success

After Sunday's 23-19 win over the Green Bay Packers, the Pittsburgh Steelers are 6-3, in the top wild-card spot in the AFC and just a half-game behind the Baltimore Ravens (who they have already beaten this season) for the top spot in the AFC North.

If you have spent any time watching them play, or taken a quick look at their stat sheet, that record and place in the standings seems completely improbable. Nothing about them looks like a 6-3 team.

But there is one very important and significant factor driving the team's success.

Turnovers.

That is it. That is the recipe and the secret sauce.

They protect the football better than almost any team in the league, and they take the football away more than almost any other team in the league. After Sunday's win against the Packers (where they were again plus-two in the turnover margin), the Steelers' turnover differential is up to plus-10 for the season, a mark that is tied for tops in the NFL. 

That is the single biggest reason they are able to position themselves in a playoff spot with an offense that scores just 17.3 points per game (26th in the NFL) and a defense that allows 379.7 yards per game (28th in the NFL). 

For all of the flaws quarterback Kenny Pickett has, and for all of the issues with offensive coordinator Matt Canada and the rest of the offense, the one thing they do exceptionally well week-in and week-out is protect the football. They have just eight giveaways this season. Two of those were the result of backup Mitch Trubisky when he came on in relief of Pickett a couple of weeks ago. 

Pickett was intercepted twice in a Week 1 loss to the San Francisco 49ers and has turned the ball over just two times in his past eight games. 

In his past 17 games dating back to last season, Pickett has committed just five turnovers and has fumbled the ball just two times (losing neither of them). The Steelers' record in those games is 12-5. It should also be noted that in two of those losses -- the aforementioned Jacksonville game and last year's home game against Baltimore -- Trubisky had to play the majority of the game and turned the ball over five times himself. 

The Steelers are not giving their opponents short fields by not turning the ball over.

They are making teams consistently drive the length of the field against them, which is not always an easy thing to do. Teams might get some yards and first downs, but if you keep making teams drive 70 or 80 yards the Steelers are betting they can eventually force that team into a mistake. A penalty that backs up a drive, a sack by T.J. Watt or Alex Highsmith to push them back, or, most damaging of all, a takeaway. While the offense rarely turns the ball over, the defense takes the ball away more than anybody. 

That is a big reason why the Steelers are so far down in the defensive yardage rankings, and so high in points against (only 20.2 against per game, 11th in the NFL).

It is a very old-school approach to bank on field position and turnovers, but they are making it work. It is one of the only things working for them.