Did the SOTU actually matter?

Nate Cohn says that it might:

SOTU doesn’t usually matter, no. But the elite discourse around Biden and his age has been so negative and there’s so much slack in Biden’s numbers among traditional Democratic groups that it’s easy to see how even a typical performance could be unusually helpful— Nate Cohn (@Nate_Cohn) March 8, 2024

Initial public reaction was positive, for whatever that’s worth. Tentatively:

• The real question is whether giving a good speech can break through the overwhelming “BREAKING: Biden is still old” media narrative. Who knows but it’s possible.
• As numerous people have said I think that Biden’s team has gotten a little too risk-averse. I understand wanting to avoid gaffe-related coverage, but since it’s well-established that the political press is happy to provide endless amounts of “Biden’s age raises clouds” coverage with no news hook whatsoever, keeping him from speaking is probably counterproductive.
• Indeed, public appearances like last night can actually turn EMAILS 2.0 into a perverse advantage — at this point, expectations have been driven low enough that just ordinary public appearances can at least reassure wavering Democratic voters,