When last we discussed the Steelers here, the case was made in passing that this year’s team of limited talent incredibly might win 12 games due to its ridiculously easy schedule.
But, as the Steelers have proved the past two weeks, while you can gift a team with pathetic opposition, you can’t guarantee they will take advantage by winning. And so it was that a pair of current 3-10 teams, Arizona and New England, claimed Steelers scalps amidst their otherwise stumbling, bumbling seasons.
This leaves the Steelers at 7-6 and, astonishingly, still among the teams that would make the AFC playoffs were the season to end today.
Alas, the Steelers have four more games to play and, judging by their production the past two outings, only the optimistic would expect two or more wins over that stretch.
It’s not that the opposition is especially daunting – with the exception of the Baltimore Ravens. And even those Ravens always seem to find a way to keep the Steelers in the game, even lose at times despite a superior record. Also, the Ravens might have their playoff seeding assured by the time they face the Steelers and rest star players.
Despite all this, I’m lumping that Ravens game in the loss category, where it has resided for some time according to my calculus. And we won’t cross that bridge until Jan. 7.
Meanwhile, the Steelers have, in order, games with Indianapolis Saturday, Cincinnati Dec. 23, and Seattle Dec. 31.
The Steelers and Colts are two of no fewer than six AFC teams sporting 7-6 records. The game is at Indianapolis, but I’m not sure that matters considering the Steelers lost their last two home games, against the aforementioned poor competition.
While the Steelers were imploding against Arizona and New England, the Colts found a way to get blown out by Cincinnati, 34-14, after the game was tied 14-14 at the half. That’s Cincinnati, playing without quarterback Joe Burrow.
But one of these lurching outfits, Steelers or Colts, likely will win this meeting, although an overtime tie would somehow be fitting.
Speaking of Cincinnati, the Bengals are yet another of those 7-6 AFC teams. This meeting with the Steelers will be played in Pittsburgh.
The Steelers then finish their season with road games at Seattle (6-7) and Baltimore (10-3).
I didn’t see the back-to-back losses coming to Arizona and New England, even though Bill Belichick owns Mike Tomlin. NBC’s NFL guru Peter King was in a similar position as me, describing himself as “borderline kind of stunned” that the Steelers could lose back-to-back home games to a pair of teams that had arrived with 2-10 records.
King added that the Steelers QB play is “putrid.”
And NBC’s Mike Florio noted that the Steelers made history, becoming the first team in NFL history with a winning record to lose back-to-back games to teams each at least 8 games under .500.
Speaking of history, this looks like yet another season that will be reduced to keeping alive the ability of Tomlin and his backers to boast of the coach never having had a losing season.
Kind of gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling, doesn’t it?
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