Brian Batko: Steelers barely won with 5 takeaways, but they're convinced their formula works

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — We’re back to the existential crisis Steelers, the fool’s gold versus any-means-necessary Steelers, fluky against gutsy. You don’t have to make all the plays if you make the biggest plays.

That’s been an all-too-familiar recipe for the Steelers in recent years: turnovers outweighing long stretches of futility, opportunistic football taking precedence over complementary football. It tends to result in one-score games, which tend to result in Steeler wins that leave you scratching your head, asking whether they earned it or the opponent handed it to them.

Either way, though, anywhere you looked in an upbeat postgame locker room, there was a Steeler who had a hand in handing the ball back to their offense.

“It’s always good to get those early,” said inside linebacker Co