Entering the Week 9 bye week riding high at 6-2 on the season, things were really looking up for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The offense was rounding into form following the switch to veteran quarterback Russell Wilson under center, the defense was continuing to play at a high level and special teams was making splash play after splash play weekly.
That continued as the Steelers moved to 8-2 with wins over the Washington Commanders and Baltimore Ravens, before falling to 8-3 with an ugly loss on Thursday Night Football to the Cleveland Browns in Week 12.
Despite the ugly loss that left a sour taste in the mouth of Steelers Nation, the team is still in a great spot ahead of a difficult second-half stretch. For Steelers’ tight end Pat Freiermuth, who sat down for an interview with G.O.A.T Farm Sports on YouTube during the bye week, the Steelers are motivated entering a tough second-half of the season and are viewing the gauntlet of a schedule as an opportunity to showcase who they really are.
“So we got definitely a challenge with schedule. But the cool thing is like, some places or some organizations or whoever, you know, might look at it and make excuses or fear away from it. And I think the cool thing is, it’s an opportunity for us to showcase who we really are,” Freiermuth said in the interview, according to video via the show’s YouTube page. “We’re a 6-2 football team going to the back half of the year.
“And I think a lot of guys are really motivated to continue this success and I think everyone’s on the same page. So, it’s a great opportunity for us for sure.”
So far this season, the motivation has been real. The Steelers come off as a very hungry team, one with a point to prove, from the stars on down to the bottom of the roster guys.
That’s the way it should be, considering the team hasn’t accomplished anything under head coach Mike Tomlin in a long, long time. As an uncomfortable reminder, star pass rusher T.J. Watt has never won a playoff game. Think about that.
So, the motivation is high for guys who have been in the building a long time, like Watt and Cameron Heyward — even Freiermuth, too. But the motivation is there from guys like Wilson and Justin Fields, both of whom were cast aside by their former teams and had their careers largely come into question this offseason.
Getting a chance to reset and compete in Pittsburgh has been good for both quarterbacks as they have revitalized themselves. There’s a different feel to this Steelers’ team so far this season. Maybe some of those good vibes disappeared for many in the fanbase on Thursday night after the loss to the Browns, but there’s still a great deal of belief within the room.
Having those tough tests on the schedule should only do wonders for Pittsburgh, which never has a problem getting up for the big games and finding ways to win. It’ll be a real challenge though, because three straight games against Philadelphia, Baltimore and Kansas City on Christmas Day is murderers row.
But, it’s a real opportunity for the Steelers to prove themselves, too. It will be very interesting to see how it plays out, one way or another.
