The Pittsburgh Steelers are 5-0 for the first time since 1978, the only other time they have ever been 5-0. The Tennessee Titans just secured a 5-0 record for themselves with an overtime victory over the Houston Texans, the first time they have been 5-0 since 2008—when they actually went 10-0.
These two teams were supposed to meet in week four, but a major Covid-19 outbreak in their organization caused the NFL to postpone the game to a later date, moving it back to week seven. The two teams have since then only continued to improve themselves and demonstrate their legitimacy.
But the Steelers feel they could do a lot more to legitimize their successes in 2020 next week with a road win in Tennessee. Head coach Mike Tomlin was asked after today’s game if he felt that this win over a 4-1 Cleveland Browns team leant an air of legitimacy to their undefeated record, against opponents who entering the week had just three wins.
He said that it does, but that taking on another quality opponent would do even more. Plus, this game was at home, and against a starting quarterback who was banged up. If they can beat the Titans and improve to 6-0, it would silence all doubters.
Not that doubters make a difference. The Steelers will either win or lose games based on how they perform, not based on how others on the outside perceive them. And they have been performing very well, overall, with today’s game offering the most complete performance of the season on both sides of the ball.
We’re not into statements”, Tomlin said after the game. “We’ll let you guys make the statements. We’re just gonna line up and play against those that we’re scheduled to play against. They [the Browns] were next, and I’m glad we were able to get the job done, but we’ve got a significant challenge in the form of the Tennessee Titans coming up this week”.
“That’s life in this game. We’re appreciative, and more importantly, we’re really excited. You can’t take anything for granted in this environment. We appreciate all the sacrifices that everybody’s making in an effort to keep this ball rolling”.
The Steelers’ ball had to come to a temporary stop because of the Titans’ viral outbreak, but they were able to pick up where they left off. Outside of a rough second half against the Philadelphia Eagles, their play the past two weeks has been on point.
Facing a pair of five-win teams over the next two weeks will be their hardest stretch of the season, especially with both of them on the road. Beating Cleveland was significant, but there’s still more to learn about who this team is, and these two weeks will say a lot.
