3 Very Real Reason the Steelers Season is Far From Decided
PITTSBURGH -- There are few storylines indulging in the good that still surrounds the Pittsburgh Steelers. After three losses, including a heartbreaker to Cincinnati, finding the good seems like a tall task.
It's not.
We'll choose to see the good as the rest, including us, discuss the bad. The Steelers' season is far from over, and even if they appear to be on the fast track out of the postseason - and maybe the AFC North title race - a lot can happen in three weeks.
If the Steelers have taught us anything, it's that a season is not defined by a chunk of games. A lull happens, just as an 11-game winning streak happens. And like one found the other, the Steelers need to hit that sweet spot that sent them on their historic run.
There are reasons to believe this isn't the end of the 2020 Pittsburgh Steelers. History, rivalry and a few future Hall of Famers assure that, even if this is a ship sinking fast, an 11-3 team is far from sunk.
The New Orleans Saints
Acting like three-straight losses are the end of the world isn't an overreaction. When a team that once started 11-0 losses to the Bengals, it's expected to have a bit of a panic attack.
We all felt it—even the media.
But it's not the end of the season. The Steelers aren't the first team to find themselves struggling towards playoff time, and thankfully for them, they're already headed to the postseason.
In 2009, the New Orleans Saints started their season 13-0. A remarkable run that put them at the top of everyone's list to walk away champions at the end of the season.
They finished the regular season 13-3, losing their final three games of the season, including a 17-20 loss to the 2-12 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
At the time, yeah, it looked pretty bad. The Saints couldn't find success to save their lives and instantly went from Super Bowl favorites to one-and-done playoff expectations.
The season ended with Drew Brees and the Saints lifting the Lombardi Trophy at Sun Life Stadium in Miami.
The moral of the story is don't let three games determine a season. No one was talking about the Saints turning it around, just like no one is talking about the Steelers bouncing back.
But if a Hall of Fame quarterback - and head coach - can find a rhythm after falling to the trenches, so can another set of Canton-bound leaders.
Week 17 vs. Cleveland Browns
Anyone who thinks the Browns are a lock to win Week 17 against the Steelers is two steps too far gone.
The Steelers might fall to the Indianapolis Colts. They might have been just as bad, if not worse, than people have made them out to be in the last three weeks. What they are not is a team that will walk into FirstEnergy Stadium without a GIANT chip on their shoulder.
The Steelers don't take the Browns lightly in any capacity. There have been years where Cleveland is the laughing stock of the NFL - many years - and Pittsburgh chose to play their starters for all 60 minutes and assure themselves that they beat their AFC North rival.
With the division title on the line, do not look at this game as you would the four before it - assuming they fall to the Colts, which isn't a guarantee. Steelers vs. Browns is a matchup that doesn't sit in Pittsburgh's normal schedule of games.
The Bengals can be overlooked. Heck, everyone overlooked them.
But the Browns will not be. That's for sure.
It Comes Down to a Hall of Famer
Even at 38-years-old, there's reassurance knowing the Steelers' biggest problem is their best player.
Against the Bengals, the Steelers watched a running game build momentum, Diontae Johnson stop dropping balls and the defense take on an insane amount of work and still look decently impressive, especially when the game was on the line.
What the problem was, was Roethlisberger.
"I've got all confidence. 100% all-in with Big Ben," running back Benny Snell Jr. said after the Bengal game. "He knows what he's doing. He has the experience. He's been here before, and we're going to make the turnaround. My trust is in him."
Those words come after a 170 yard, one touchdown, one interception performance in Cincinnati. Any winning team will tell you they have trust in their teammates. Not everyone is going to say it so vividly, though.
As far-fetched as it sounds, having a team's biggest problem be their future Hall of Fame quarterback is the best possible way to fall apart. Maybe he doesn't turn into Superman on the field, but a team can succeed around a quarterback a defense needs to pay attention to - even if he's not playing well.
Snell found some momentum in the run game in Week 15, rushing for 84 yards and a touchdown. That might carry over, that might not. But either way, a defense can't focus on the run game when No. 7 is standing in the backfield.
If Roethlisberger turns this season back around, the Steelers are lethal once again. If he has to adapt and let the rest of his team win some ball games, he's still doing enough by just being on the field.
Noah Strackbein is a Publisher with AllSteelers. Follow Noah on Twitter @NoahStrack, and AllSteelers @si_steelers.
