The Pittsburgh Steelers have quite a bit on the line today as they host the New England Patriots, but they have also come a long way. In a certain respect, everything that they have gone through and accomplished up to this point in the season is leading up to this moment, which would go a long way toward securing the top seed with a win.
They can also make a big of NFL history with a win, as well. According to an article on NFL Network, the Steelers’ seven victories against teams with winning records in 2017 is tied for the most ever since the 1970 merger between the NFL and the AFL.
Should they defeat the 10-3 Patriots, they would end their season with an 8-1 record against teams with winning records, the most victories against such teams in that timespan. But instead others just want to focus on the fact that they lost to the Bears, now that it’s no longer embarrassing that the Jaguars beat them.
The Steelers’ winning ways against other winners began in week two, when they beat the Vikings at Heinz Field. It was the first start for the team by Case Keenum, dropping them to 1-1 after the loss, but they currently sit pretty with a 10-3 record under Keenum for all but one of those wins.
Two of Pittsburgh’s victories have come against the Ravens, who are 7-6 overall and 7-4 against non-Steelers opponents. They entered their first game with a 2-1 record, and their second with a 7-5 record. Baltimore could guarantee a non-losing season by beating the Browns today.
The Chiefs were an undefeated 5-0 when the Steelers beat them, though they have nearly fallen off a cliff since, but they still sit with a 7-6 record after ending a four-game skid. They have a huge game against the Chargers next on deck.
Their best game of the season came against the Titans, who were 6-3 at the time of the meeting. The Steelers blew them out by the score of 40-17, which was by far their largest margin of victory of the season.
To be clear, this 7-1 record is based not on the teams’ record at the time of the game, but rather of their overall record. The Lions and the Packers either had a losing or even record when the Steelers beat them, but they have since climbed up to 7-6 records, currently.
In other words, the prestige of this possible honor remains subject to change, with three games yet to play. only one of their wins have come against a team that has already secured a winning record. The Patriots would be another, should they win.
The Titans need to win one of their remaining three games to post a winning record, while the Ravens—for two of their wins—, Chiefs, Lions, and Packers would all need to win two of their last three games in order for the Steelers’ honor to remain intact entering this week. The Chiefs and Lions both won yesterday, meaning they must win one of their final two. And the Packers just got Aaron Rodgers back, while the Ravens have the Browns up next.
