Regardless of the depressing loss to the Browns within the midst of depressing climate in Cleveland, the Steelers are nonetheless 8-3. However did their 24-19 defeat by the hands of a Browns crew that is struggled and endured drama all season expose Pittsburgh as a pretender greater than a contender?
Properly, we’re going to absolutely discover out quickly sufficient based mostly on the gauntlet in entrance of the Steelers.
Getting into the week, Mike Tomlin and the Steelers have been using excessive after beating one other division rival within the Ravens, 18-16, for his or her fifth straight win. Many of the critics who have been upset Tomlin benched Justin Fields — he led the Steelers to a 4-2 file because the starter — have been coming round and realizing the offense was having extra success with Russell Wilson underneath heart.
However then got here the brand new week and Thursday night time.
And on Thursday night time, the Browns — a crew that is simply 3-8 after the win — was in a position to get the win although they misplaced the turnover battle, 3 to 1, and complete yards, 368 to 304.
On one hand, it is doable to chalk this sport as much as a loss to a rival in a snow storm and have or not it’s nothing aside from an aberration for a crew nonetheless in playoff place. However alternatively, some might argue the Browns uncovered the Steelers, particularly since Pittsburgh beat groups just like the Raiders, Jets and Giants throughout their win streak.
No matter anybody’s opinion, we’re all going to seek out out simply how good the Steelers are and if they’re really poised to make a playoff run of their ultimate six video games.
Subsequent up is a matchup with Joe Burrow and the Bengals, a bunch determined for a win however might simply be 9-2 as a substitute of 4-7. Burrow can be having a season that may be worthy of NFL MVP consideration if on a contending crew.
After the journey to Cincinnati, the Steelers will search for revenge towards Cleveland at house, then journey to Philadelphia to tackle the Eagles earlier than closing the common season with video games towards the Ravens, the back-to-back defending Tremendous Bowl-champion Chiefs and yet another battle with the Bengals.
None of these video games will be referred to as “simple” and they’re all video games Pittsburgh might lose, definitely in the event that they play something like they did in Cleveland. And dropping sufficient of these video games might break the primary half of the season, probably costing the Steelers a playoff start all collectively or forcing them right into a low-seed state of affairs, which has been a catalyst to the franchise’s seven-year drought with no playoff win.
