Wanna know how Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has avoided having a losing season all these years, even with lesser incarnations of his team?

Like, for instance, the current one?

He’s won games like the one his team has Sunday afternoon against the AFC South-leading Tennessee Titans. That’s how.

Late in the season. At home. Behind the playoff pace. Coming off a loss. Playing their worst football.

A team with a better record comes to Heinz Field. We throw dirt on their graves. And they rise from the ashes to keep postseason hopes alive.

Need some examples?

• Beating the eventual Super Bowl champion New England Patriots on Dec. 16 in 2018 after losing three in a row to fall to 7-5-1.

• Beating the eventual AFC North champion Cincinnati Bengals on Dec. 15 in 2013 to improve to 6-8 and stay alive in the wild-card race.

• Beating the eventual Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens on Dec. 2 in 2012 to improve to 7-5. That one was even on the road without Ben Roethlisberger after an eight-turnover loss against the Cleveland Browns.

• Beating the 9-4 Green Bay Packers on Dec. 20 in 2009 after falling to 6-7 with five straight losses.

The problem is that all those teams still missed the playoffs because they had tough games remaining and they had dug themselves too big of a hole entering the home stretch.

And I fear that, at 6-6-1, the 2021 Steelers may suffer the same fate even if they pull off the home upset against Tennessee.

Honestly, the Steelers really should do that. Tennessee is atop the AFC South at 9-4. The Steelers have been dreadful in their recent 1-3-1 stretch. They allowed an average of 39.3 points in those three defeats to the Vikings, Bengals and Chargers.

Over those five games, the defense has yielded 398.6 yards in average total offense per game, 187 of which came on the ground. That would rank them dead-last on the season in both categories.

Meanwhile, the offense has posted a putrid 16 total points before halftime of their last four games, forcing a series of maniacal second-half comebacks to prevent what easily could be a five-game winless streak.

To that end, it’s no wonder the Steelers are currently home underdogs by a point. I would’ve understood if the line was wider in favor of Tennessee.

But the Titans haven’t exactly been setting the world on fire either of late.

• They could only muster 20 points despite four Trevor Lawrence interceptions last week in a less-than-stellar 20-0 win over the dilapidated Jacksonville Jaguars. A game in which Tennessee only gained 263 yards in total offense, despite having the ball for more than 36 minutes.

• Tennessee has losses on its ledger this season against the New York Jets and Houston Texans. They have combined records of 5-21. Mike Vrabel’s team has also lost two of its last three outings.

• On Tuesday, Tomlin insisted that despite the loss of Titans All-Pro running back Derrick Henry, “their run game is their run game.” From the standpoint of style and approach, I suppose Tomlin can at least advance that argument.

“They’re committed to their personality not changing in terms of them running the football,” Tomlin said. “There’s been a different cast of characters over the time period that he’s been out, but their commitment has been unwavering.”

As far as effectiveness goes, though, not even Tomlin can muster an argument that Tennessee’s rushing attack is anything better than a shadow of what it is when Henry was available.

Despite being on injured reserve since Nov. 1, Henry is still the NFL’s fourth-leading rusher with 937 yards. He was averaging 117.1 yards per game before breaking his foot. Two weeks ago, Tennessee had a good game on the ground during a loss to New England, totaling 270 yards. D’Onta Foreman went off for 109. Dontrell Hilliard had 131.

In their other four games without Henry, the Titans have averaged a meager 85 yards per game on the ground.

Even the Steelers’ pitiful run defense should be at least mediocre against Tennessee Sunday.

• Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill has been limited by circumstances. He thrives off of play action. With Henry out, that aspect of the Titans offense has been compromised. Not to mention, Tannehill is also going to be without his most dangerous receiving target in A.J. Brown. And fellow receiver Julio Jones is just one game removed from injured reserve. He has only one 100-yard receiving game all year.

“You never see Ryan flinch,” Vrabel said Wednesday. “One of his best attributes is his toughness. His belief in what we are trying to do. His leadership.”

Fair enough. But Tannehill has topped 300 yards just twice this season, and he will have to do a lot of heavy lifting Sunday. He’s only averaging 192.6 yards per game through the air since Henry went out.

Based on the way they have played the last five games, saying the Steelers should beat anyone appears to be folly. The more meaningful conversation ought to be about who they could beat.

They could beat Tennessee. They aren’t going to beat the Kansas City Chiefs next week. And they probably need at least three wins to make the playoffs.

Could they beat both the Browns and Ravens to end the regular season? Well, they have won against both opponents already this year.

And I suppose they could do so again. But forget could and should.

They must beat the Titans. Or none of that will matter. Steelers win 20-17.

In Friday’s “Breakfast With Benz” podcast, former Pittsburgh sports media personality Jon Burton joins Tim Benz to discuss the Steelers-Titans game. Burton now works at News Channel 5 and WNSR Sports Radio in Nashville. They talk about the loss of Derrick Henry, Ryan Tannehill’s season and the Titans’ most recent win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

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