Overreactions from Steelers Nation: It WaS a ThReE wIn TeAm!
Welcome to my weekly edition of “Overreactions from Steelers Nation” a weekly column where I poke fun at fans, reporters, and so-called experts while trying to figure out if some of these hot takes are real – or just for attention.
Did you chuckle a bit at the title? I’d like to, but sadly, we all know of someone like this. No matter what, it’s a fan, critic, talking head, or whomever that can never be happy with a win.
The New Orleans Saints came into Acrisure Stadium last Sunday a three-win team on the season. They also left as a three-win team, as the previously two-win Steelers defeated them 20-10: in a game where Pittsburgh was a two-point underdog at home.
Let’s let that sink in, as we’re also reminded of all of the same folks who were ready to bench Kenny Pickett – possibly for the rest of his career – by halftime. (Pickett would have a 104.9 QB rating in the third quarter after a 70.3 rating at halftime.)
However, that’s still not good enough. We must be reminded by everyone that the New Orleans Saints aren’t a good football team. But what exactly are the Steelers?
Coming into this game, the Steelers were ranked almost dead-last in every offensive category. They struggled to run the football, but out of nowhere laid 217 rushing yards on the Saints.
Defensively the Steelers had given up six different games of 100 yards or more on the ground to their opponents, but held the Saints to combined 29 yards.
If the Saints are a “three-win” or “bad” football team, then surely, the game shouldn’t even have been played, right? Just had the win to the Steelers.
And of course, the dichotomy of the fanbase is to remain negative, believing that beating a “three-win” team means they won’t win another game all season. Yet, as I look at the upcoming schedule, I identified four teams (Colts, Carolina, Las Vegas, and Cleveland) who were also “three-win” teams headed into last week’s games and whom the Steelers will face in the coming weeks.
Of course, the Colts join the Falcons on that list as a four-win team now, which should be far scarier. The five-win Bengals are also a scary team. There’s no way that the Steelers can hang with those defending AFC Champions this season. (Insert my favorite smirk emoji here.)
No hope at all is what I see. Pittsburgh shouldn’t be able to beat three- and four-win teams. Just pack it in.
They don’t have four more AFC North games on their calendar and path to possibly compete for the division crown Baltimore is currently running away with. The six-win Ravens are the strongest team left on the Steelers schedule: and they face each other twice.
The Steelers, who have won their last four-straight against the Ravens, and eight of the last eleven matchups, don’t stand a chance – or do they?
The glass half full approach is what fans need to start taking with a team that has a possible shot to turn their season around. The Steelers faced the toughest strength-of-schedule through the first eight games of 2022. They now look dead in the eyes of one of the easier remaining slates:
- 5-4 Cincinnati Bengals
- 4-5-1 Indianapolis Colts
- 4-6 Atlanta Falcons
- 6-3 Baltimore Ravens
- 3-7 Carolina Panthers
- 2-7 Las Vegas Raiders
- 3-6 Cleveland Browns
It stands to reason that winning out would be their best bet, and give them an 11-6 record for the year. Even the snarky optimist in me knows that isn’t likely, but nine or ten wins could very well win the division.
I don’t know if the Cleveland Browns will rebound with Deshaun Watson returning in Week 13, but I do know a Steelers win this Sunday would give the Bengals an 0-4 record in the AFC North, all but eliminating them from contention.
Two games against the Ravens prove to be the most crucial, especially when discussing tiebreakers.
However, lest I forget: the Saints were a three-win team, and thus, none of this is a reality. I’ve been proven wrong before, but I’ve also been proven right when it comes to late season surging Mike Tomlin teams.
Let’s let some more games play out and see if the Steelers can’t stack some wins, and start to get some momentum with a rookie quarterback through December. If they can, they could end up surprising a lot of the early naysayers.
Of course, the odds are in the favor now that T.J. Watt has returned: without him, the Steelers have only won a single game he’s missed. (And with him, they are always a force to be reckoned with, as witnessed on Sunday against those “three-win” Saints!)
