The Pittsburgh Steelers had a golden opportunity to extend a winning streak to six games, their longest since 2020. The Steelers started that season 11-0, so it was virtually impossible to do better, but six games in a row isn’t bad.
While five wins in a row is not too shabby, either, the loss that snapped that streak potentially has big implications. The Steelers, for starters, relinquished control over their fate for the AFC playoffs No. 1 seed. Now at three losses, they need help from the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills. And now they have the Baltimore Ravens breathing down their neck, knowing a rematch awaits in Week 18.
“This might be the game they look back and say, ‘Darn it, if we’d have won that game against a 2-8 team, we’d have won this darn division’”, Steve Mariucci said Sunday on NFL GameDay Morning of the Steelers’ loss to the Browns. Yet he was still complimentary of them as a whole. “But anyway, heck of a game. The Steelers are a good football team with Russell Wilson there”.
The Steelers are currently in position for their first division title since that 2020 season. They have a one-game lead over the Ravens, 8-3 versus 7-4, plus a head-to-head win. The Ravens also have two division losses, to the Steelers and Browns. But they have already beaten the Bengals twice. The Steelers have lost to the Browns, but still have four division games remaining.
Unsurprisingly, it is looking extremely possible that the fate of the AFC North comes down to Week 16. The Ravens will host the Steelers, and the division will probably be on the line. Both teams still have some tough games ahead, so either party pulling away feels unlikely.
Yet the Steelers’ path seems even more difficult. In addition to another game against the Ravens, this time in Baltimore, they still have to play the Philadelphia Eagles, one of the hottest teams in the NFL. And of course they have to play the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day. Even though they might look vulnerable, they constantly find ways to win.
The Steelers usually find ways to win, too, but occasionally, they find ways to lose. After erasing a 12-point fourth-quarter deficit last Thursday, they embarked on an ambitious project against the Browns to uncover each way to lose, and pulled off the upset, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
Steve Mariucci is entirely right in saying this loss may come back to haunt the Steelers. And it’s less about it sending them to 8-3 and more about it being one of the “easiest” games left on their schedule. Minus the rematch in Pittsburgh, every single other game left to them should theoretically be harder. Sure, the short week and the weather were factors. But both teams played under the same conditions at the end of the day.
