Having lost four of their last seven games after a Week 5 bye week and squandering a once-huge AFC North lead, the Pittsburgh Steelers now find themselves in a dangerous spot in the week of Thanksgiving. Following a 31-28 loss to the Chicago Bears Sunday at Soldier Field, the Steelers now no longer control the division.
They’re on the outside looking in when it comes to the AFC playoff picture, too.
My, how the mighty have fallen.
Though they’re still technically “in the hunt” in the AFC playoff picture at the moment sitting at 6-5 and having some big conference and division games down the stretch, the Steelers are in serious danger of falling out entirely and seeing a once-promising season spiral out of control.
Again.
“The Steelers are in real danger of falling out of the playoff race entirely, not just the AFC North,” CBS Sports’ Tyler Sullivan writes. “Pittsburgh has now lost four of its last six games and sit at 6-5 on the season. After Baltimore defeated the Jets in Week 12, it’s the Ravens who now stand as the AFC North leader thanks to their superior division record. That lead could build even further when these two teams face one another twice down the stretch.
“As the AFC North lead has been whittled down to nothing, the Steelers now have to be cautious about the wild-card race. They are now fighting with the Jaguars, Texans and Chiefs for the final wild-card spot.”
With the Steelers in the midst of a second-half collapse that has them in a significant tailspin and no clear way out of it, others around them are surging. Obviously the Ravens are red-hot, having won five straight games to take back the division lead.
It’s not just within the AFC North, either. Elsewhere in the conference, the Jaguars and Texans are surging and could even be battling for the AFC South crown in a few weeks if things hold firm. Meanwhile, the Chiefs rose up off the mat on Sunday against the Colts, winning a thriller in overtime to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Things won’t get any easier moving forward for the Steelers. The Buffalo Bills come to town on Sunday led by star quarterback Josh Allen, doing so with added rest after playing last Thursday against the Texans. After the Bills come to town, the Steelers have matchups against the Ravens, Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football, and Detroit Lions, before closing the season with division games against the Browns in Cleveland and the Ravens in Pittsburgh.
The Steelers are hoping soon-to-be 42-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers can heal quickly from the fracture in his wrist. Though he wasn’t playing good football in the six quarters prior to the injury, he offers them the best chance to win, as evidenced by Mason Rudolph’s performance in Chicago.
The season has gone from bad to worse in the blink of an eye. Questions about the scheme, frustration with mistakes, and more are starting to pile up. It’s another second-half collapse. We’ll see if the veterans in the locker room can get the Steelers out of it this time.
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