Each week, the Pittsburgh Steelers are solely focused on their next opponent. Even though their schedule looks brutal, Mike Tomlin has made it clear that he doesn’t care about any of that. He’s simply preparing his team to win the next game. However, that doesn’t mean their schedule isn’t going to be taxing on their bodies. Former NFL pass rusher Osi Umenyiora believes the Steelers are going to really feel the fatigue of their schedule once they get into the playoffs.
“Those division matchups are ridiculous,” Umenyiora said Wednesday on his podcast, The Jason and Osi Podcast. “Even a team like Cleveland, Cleveland is probably gonna beat Pittsburgh one of those games if they have to play them twice.
“We know Cincinnati’s gonna beat them. They are going to go into the playoffs, if they have to play a slate of five division games before they [go in], they’re going to be in big trouble.”
Umenyiora is correct that five of their seven remaining games are against divisional opponents. That usually makes any game just a little tougher, but in the AFC North, it promises physicality.
That could be on full display this week. The Steelers just beat the Baltimore Ravens in an incredibly competitive contest. They couldn’t celebrate for long because they have to play against the Cleveland Browns on Thursday Night Football. The Browns aren’t as good as the Steelers, but under these circumstances, they could emerge victorious.
The Cincinnati Bengals also haven’t been great this year, but their offense has been stellar. It isn’t insane to say they could steal a game against the Steelers. Umenyiora makes a solid point, and he’s speaking from experience. He helped the New York Giants win two Super Bowls. He knows how much punishment a player’s body can take on the way to the postseason.
Also, it might not even be who they’re playing that really hurts the Steelers. The lack of rest they are scheduled to receive could be their real Achilles heel. At one point, they’ll play three games in 10 days, capped off with a game on Christmas against the Kansas City Chiefs. That might drain them more than anything.
However, if the Steelers survive this gauntlet, they should be battle-tested for the playoffs. With all these quality opponents lined up, they should get a good feel for their own skill level. It’s a double-edged sword. They can’t think about the playoffs yet. Their focus needs to be on the Browns for now.
