The Pittsburgh Steelers have been perennially one of the most successful franchises since the merger, competing with every other team in the league in terms of accomplishments, whether it’s wins, playoff wins, division titles, or Super Bowl trophies. Playing with the Steelers has come to carry a prestige to it as one of the most stable franchises in all of professional sports.
So playing for the Steelers also comes with playing with a target on your back. That’s what head coach Mike Tomlin likes to tell his players. He convinces them that week in and week out, opponents see that Pittsburgh is on their schedule and know that they are going to get their best shot.
There is probably at least a grain of truth to that. But when you are the league’s lone remaining unbeaten team, you damn well better be sure that every single team you face is aware of your record and wants to be the one to knock the zero out of the loss column. Last night, their 12th opponent, the Washington Football Team, finally did that.
The Steelers were on the wrong side of the scoreboard for the first time all season, and they only trailed for about the final two minutes of the game, but those were the two minutes that mattered most. Offensive ineffectiveness both to start the game and then in the second half, with injuries mounting defensively, combined with basic execution errors and a late turnover, was finally their undoing.
And Washington sure enjoyed it. Their social media managers had the memes all ready to go. This is something that you will probably never see from the Steelers’ official channel, but when you’re one of the worst franchises in the NFL, memes are what you’ve got.
— Washington Football Team (@WashingtonNFL) December 8, 2020
*cues curb your enthusiasm music* pic.twitter.com/OQ37I3zvLD
— Washington Football Team (@WashingtonNFL) December 8, 2020
— Washington Football Team (@WashingtonNFL) December 8, 2020
— Washington Football Team (@WashingtonNFL) December 8, 2020
how we’re sleeping tonight pic.twitter.com/wEeoSHi11V
— Washington Football Team (@WashingtonNFL) December 8, 2020
And the reality is, it comes with the territory. When you’re 11-0 and it’s been a month since anybody else had lost their first game, you’re the target. Everyone wants to give you the L, and when they do, they’re going to wear that accomplishment.
Make no mistake, this is also a big win for Washington. Even though they’re 5-7, they’re actually now keeping pace with the New York Giants for the division lead. They’ve already lost twice to the Giants, so they need to finish with a better record, making this win all the more important.
Meanwhile, the Steelers are still first place in the AFC and hold the key to the bye week and homefield advantage throughout the postseason. All they have to do is keep winning, but they still have games on the road against the Bills and the Browns and at home against the Colts, so their margin for error, with the Chiefs also 11-1 but with a conference loss, is now down to zero.
