Most fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers probably wish they could go back to nine days ago, feeling good about taking on a pair of two-win teams in a row. Fans felt good about the chances of emerging from that section of the schedule at 9-4 with an easy path to the playoffs at the minimum and even a quality chance at winning the division.
However, back-to-back losses to the Arizona Cardinals and the New England Patriots threw the biggest monkey wrench imaginable into the postseason plans for the Pittsburgh faithful. It was the first time in NFL history that a team with a winning record had dropped back-to-back games to teams at least eight losses under .500. That left many of those same fans calling for head coach Mike Tomlin’s job.
Rich Eisen is not one of those people. He’s been very vocal about his support for the embattled Steelers coach. That continued on Monday’s episode of The Rich Eisen Show where Eisen pointed out that there still remains a chance that the Steelers not only can make the playoffs but do so as the AFC North champions.
“What if [the Ravens] lose two out of their next three?” Eisen said. “Then Pittsburgh plays them, and Pittsburgh wins out, guess how many wins they’d have? Same number of wins as the Ravens, and they’d win the division. Just saying. Now it may be one of those ‘Dumb and Dumber’ chances, I get it, but I’m saying there’s a chance.”
Eisen is not wrong here. The Steelers, despite the two straight losses, have a path to the division title. It requires a lot of help from not only teams playing the Ravens but teams playing the Cleveland Browns as well. The Ravens are currently the first seed in the AFC with a 10-3 record while the Browns are second in the division with an 8-5 record. However, as Eisen reminds fans, the Steelers are far from out of the picture by virtue of their record despite all the negative feelings swirling around the team after those losses.
“I understand how that feels,” Eisen said. “It stinks, it looks terrible, it’s not Steelers football. It’s not up to the standard of Pittsburgh Steeler fans, and it’s totally understandable. But may I point this out: That despite all of that, these terrible, terrible losses, that the Pittsburgh Steelers at present are still the six seed.”
There’s a definitive path for the Steelers to make the playoffs without getting outside help. If they win every game remaining on their schedule, they will make the playoffs. They hold tiebreakers over most of the teams around them thanks to a better conference record.
Then there’s the matter of the division that somehow, some way, is technically still within reach in thanks to the Steelers’ early-season victory over the Ravens. The Ravens play the Jacksonville Jaguars next Sunday in Jacksonville before traveling to the West Coast to take on the San Francisco 49ers for a Christmas night matchup. After that they return home to play the Miami Dolphins followed by the Steelers.
It is certainly conceivable for the Ravens to lose two of their next three games. Then there’s the matter of the Browns. The Browns need to lose at least one more game, otherwise, they would win the division if the Ravens faltered. They host the Chicago Bears next week, visit the Houston Texans, host the New York Jets the following Thursday night, and finish their regular season at the Cincinnati Bengals. With the way this season has gone, the Browns could conceivably grind out a win in every game or drop every single game.
Then there’s the Steelers. They visit the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday, host the Bengals the following Saturday, and then travel to the West Coast to play the Seattle Seahawks on New Year’s Eve before the final game of the season at the Ravens. Nothing in the NFL is a given as the Steelers have proven in a negative way the last two games.
However, in the immortal words of Lloyd Christmas, Jim Carrey’s character in Dumb and Dumber, “So you’re telling me there’s a chance!”
Yes, Lloyd and Steelers fans, there is a chance. It may be an incredibly dumb one, but there’s a chance.
You can watch the entirety of Eisen’s defense of Tomlin and the Steelers below.
