Hello. Are you a Pittsburgh Steelers fan looking to vomit? If so, keep reading.
The 2018 season did not go as planned for the Steelers. While their 9-6-1 record was not exactly terrible, the bottom line is that it fell short of being good enough to gain entry into the postseason, which is the bare minimum goal for Pittsburgh every year.
It was the first time since 2013 that they did not qualify for the playoffs, which means that they had no opportunity to defend their playoff records that they continue to own from the perennial assault of the New England Patriots, spearheaded by quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick, unfortunately the greatest duo in the history of the game.
Need proof? You really shouldn’t at this point, but here it goes: Brady and Belichick, by virtue of their victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game on Sunday, are heading to their ninth Super Bowl together. No other franchise in all of its history together has been to nine Super Bowls, let alone during one extended period of that history.
The Steelers held the record for the most Super Bowl appearances for a while with eight. But the Denver Broncos later tied them, and the Patriots have demolished it over the course of the past three years, having made it to the title game each time.
What’s more, should they win, they would tie the Steelers for the most Lombardi trophies with six. And all of them would be Brady’s. He’ll have ‘one for the other thumb’.
Finally, last but not least, the Patriots’ win over the Chiefs was the organization’s 36 postseason victory in franchise history. If they end up winning the Super Bowl, they will not only claim a sixth championship, they will also be they winningest franchise in postseason history.
That’s why I posed the question that I did yesterday. If you could guarantee, essentially, the end of the Patriots’ current dynasty by watching Brady walk off into the sunset with yet another Super Bowl title, would you take that over watching him lose again only to see him continue to compete and perhaps win another Super Bowl or two over the next four or five years?
I still don’t have an answer to that question, personally, as there are no good options. One thing I do know is that I’d like to see Aaron Donald win a Super Bowl, and the Los Angeles Rams are a likable enough team.
The bottom line is that New England’s sustained success for nearly the past two decades has reached—really, is beyond—the point at which is can be debated as to whether or not they are the greatest dynasty the game has ever seen. Hell, Belichick is 29-10 with this team in the postseason. There are only four other franchises that even have 29 postseason wins.
