Steelers Did Find Positives in Chaotic, COVID-Filled Week

The Pittsburgh Steelers were angry last Wednesday. Now, they're taking whatever the NFL throws at them.

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers will play three games in 12 days once they kickoff against the Baltimore Ravens on Wednesday afternoon. 

After having their Week 12 game moved - three times - they are now scheduled to play Wed. at 3:40 p.m. ET. From there, they'll play the Washington Football Team on Monday at 5 p.m. ET and finish off their stretch in Buffalo when they play the Bills in Week 14. 

It's not all bad for the Steelers, though. At this point, they've stopped tweeting out their displeasure and started talking about how comical their situation has turned into. 

They've also gained some needed rest. Defensive end Cam Heyward said the team didn't treat this week as a bye week but did utilize the rest. 

"I needed it, so I'm not going to complain about it," Heyward said Sunday. "We had some guys that had nicks and bruises that could use the rest. Whether it is taking care of your body, spending time with family, getting extra preparation, this is a week we can take advantage of it, so I thought we did that."

The Steelers did not practice from Wednesday-Friday last week as they waited for clarity on the game. Once it was moved, they hit the practice field on Sunday to regroup as they focused on Baltimore. 

"We worked extremely hard in the front part of the week to be prepared to deliver a quality performance on a short week," head coach Mike Tomlin said Sunday. "The added days of rest were not a negative. It was a positive for us."

The Ravens will still be without over a dozen players once they play the Steelers on Wednesday. Pittsburgh will be without James Conner, Stephon Tuitt and Jerald Hawkins. 

"We live in this every day. We've been living it every day," Tomlin said on COVID-19 outbreaks. "We've been tested daily since July 20. We listen to all the protocols and all the memos and things delivered to us from New York. We have taken this very seriously. It's just confirmation of what we already know."

What they know is that this game is still happening, as of now. So for the Steelers, they remain focused on moving to 11-0. 

"We don't care where we play. We don't care how it's played. We just want to play," Heyward said. "When we get the all clear from the NFL, we will be ready, and that is all we can expect. Let our preparation reflect that, and when we do that, we can show that on the field."

Noah Strackbein is a Publisher with AllSteelers. Follow Noah on Twitter @NoahStrack, and AllSteelers @si_steelers.