Back when they were 4-1, it felt like the Pittsburgh Steelers had finally turned a corner. The AFC North was very winnable at the time. Now they’re back to irrelevancy at 6-5 with some tough matchups remaining. It’s not even clear if they’ll finish with a winning record.
Steelers beat writer Ray Fittipaldo can see them clawing their way to eight or nine wins. But he certainly would be surprised if they managed to get into double digits.
“I think they can definitely win two more to get to 8 wins. Maybe they’ll split with the Ravens to get to 9. I’d be shocked if they find a way to get to 10 after watching them play for the past month. There is just no consistency on either side of the ball,” Fittipaldo wrote Tuesday in his weekly chat with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
The Steelers picked a horrible time to start their recent slide. They’ve won just two of their last six games, and most of the losses during that span have been ugly. Their skid coincided with a five-game winning streak from Baltimore, the current division leader.
Going behind in the division after Week 12 is never good. It’s especially bad considering the Steelers’ next two opponents. Next week, they take on Buffalo, then visit the Ravens in the first of two matchups against Baltimore this year. In addition to those three games, the Steelers also play Cleveland, Miami, and Detroit.
Currently, the only two teams that clearly look beatable are the Browns and the Dolphins. The Steelers already beat up on the Browns earlier this season. Although Shedeur Sanders had a nice game last week, the Steelers should be able to handle that game if they’re anything close to a playoff contender. Although the Dolphins have some talent on offense, they’ve had a litany of problems on both sides of the ball.
Realistically, it might take 10 wins to crack the playoffs. The Ravens still have two games against the 3-8 Bengals. If they win those and take care of business against the Steelers, they’ll be close to or at that threshold. In the Wild Card race, the Steelers are behind Los Angeles, Jacksonville, and Buffalo, all of whom have seven wins. It’s not unrealistic that all three wild-card teams could have 10 wins this season. Even the teams in the hunt with the same record as the Steelers, which are Houston and Kansas City, have been playing good ball recently.
So, the Steelers are likely going to have to steal some wins as an underdog to have a chance. Splitting with the Ravens is an absolute must, and it is possible. Although the Ravens have won five straight, none of them have been pretty. They’ve also all been against teams with losing records.
But aside from that, the Steelers will probably need to beat one of Buffalo or Detroit. If they only beat Cleveland and Miami while splitting with the Ravens, that puts them at 9-8. Considering they don’t have a tiebreaker over Los Angeles or Buffalo in that scenario, it’s not a fun place to be.
The Steelers wanted veteran leadership last offseason. Now, it’s time for that to pay off. The next two weeks are extremely crucial. If the Steelers are going to rebound and stay in the playoff race, they need to start winning these next few weeks.
Recommended for you