The Pittsburgh Steelers may have lost their most recent game to the Cleveland Browns in Week 11, but this is still a team that is 6-4 with a relatively easy schedule the rest of the season. It hurts a little extra to lose a divisional matchup, even more so when considering Browns had to start a rookie quarterback in his second-ever regular-season game. Even still, the Steelers are in the thick of the AFC playoff picture and have another important divisional matchup this upcoming Sunday.
Patrick Peterson spoke to the media during Monday’s availability and discussed the state of the team following the loss.
“Like coach always talks about, this is the time where pretenders and contenders start to separate themselves,” Peterson said in a clip posted by TribLIVE’s Chris Adamski. “One of my good old coaches, Bruce Arians, used to always tell me good teams don’t lose two in a row, so we’ll see where we are after this one.”
If losing two in a row is the mark of a bad team, the Steelers have avoided that distinction so far this season. The pattern has been quite simple: lose one, then win two. Since the beginning of the season the Steelers have followed that pattern on their way to a 6-4 record. If they were to continue, they would finish the season 11-6 and make the playoffs, likely as a Wild-Card team.
Peterson still believes this team is capable of being a contender, regardless of all the outside noise. With hints of turmoil in the locker room since the loss on Sunday, it is valuable to have a veteran who has seen the many ups and downs that come with playing in the NFL. The core of the team is on the younger end, so they are more susceptible to the ebb and flow of emotions throughout the season.
Look at almost any metric and the Steelers’ winning record is difficult to understand. But wins and losses are all that matter and so far the Steelers have stuck to Arians’ mantra of avoiding two losses in a row. Up next, the Steelers play the Cincinnati Bengals on the road sans their starting quarterback, Joe Burrow. Last week, that seemed like an easy ticket to a win, but the Browns loss humbled this team. No week can be taken for granted in the NFL.
