The Steelers have six games remaining, including four against one-time Super Bowl favorites, a chance to show they are contenders. Eleven games into the season, they very much control their own destiny, tied atop the AFC North. Of course, just a few weeks ago, they held a 3.5-game lead, but that was before they spiraled.
Now 2-4 in their last six games, the Steelers are very much looking more like pretenders than contenders. But they have had some good games against the Colts and Bengals, and last week, they didn’t have Aaron Rodgers. There is frustration in the locker room, but much of it stems from the belief that they’re better than this.
“We got some good teams coming up”, ILB Patrick Queen told Mike DeFabo of The Athletic. “It’s going to show us where we’re at. We can prove to the world who we are — or we’re going to fold. That’s the mindset. I know me. I like to compete and I like to compete at the highest level, regardless who is on the field”.
After losing to the Bears, the Steelers have the Bills up next, once viewed as a top playoff contender. Now squarely behind the Patriots in the AFC East, they are potentially playing for a Wild Card. But they can certainly still smack the Steelers around, as they usually do.
After the Bills, the Steelers face their biggest contenders for the AFC North title, the Ravens, for the first time. Baltimore is on a hot streak in terms of winning games, even if they haven’t won convincingly. It doesn’t help that QB Lamar Jackson seems to have a new injury after every game. Despite missing time, he has already taken more sacks than all of last season.
After the Dolphins, the Steelers then play the Lions. Detroit is another team that hasn’t quite lived up to the pre-season hype, but is still extremely talented. The Lions nearly lost to the Giants, but their talent won out. Talent that can easily beat Pittsburgh, quite frankly.
The Steelers wrap up the season against the Browns again, and then the Ravens. Cleveland should be a little more interesting, as they will presumably still be starting Shedeur Sanders by then. If the Steelers are still contenders heading into the final game against the Ravens, I think a lot of fans would be grateful.
I don’t know if you’ve heard this before, but the Steelers haven’t won in the playoffs since 2016. Year after year, they finish somewhere between 9-8 and 12-5 and tap out in the first round. Frankly, it’s been a long time since the Steelers were taken seriously as contenders. And one can make the argument that, right now, they’re not even relevant.
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