Regardless of the depressing loss to the Browns on Thursday amid depressing climate in Cleveland, the Steelers are nonetheless 8-3. However did their 24-19 defeat by the hands of a Browns staff that is struggled and endured drama all season expose Pittsburgh as a pretender greater than a contender?
Properly, we’re going to certainly discover out quickly sufficient based mostly on the gauntlet in entrance of the Steelers.
Coming into the week, Mike Tomlin and the Steelers had been using excessive after beating one other division rival within the Ravens, 18-16, for his or her fifth straight win. Many of the critics who had been upset Tomlin benched Justin Fields — he led the Steelers to a 4-2 file because the starter — were coming around and realizing the offense was having extra success with Russell Wilson underneath middle.
However then got here the brand new week and Thursday evening.
And on Thursday evening, the Browns — a staff that is simply 3-8 after the win — was capable of get the win despite the fact that they misplaced the turnover battle, 3 to 1, and complete yards, 368 to 304.
On one hand, it is potential to chalk this recreation as much as a loss to a rival in a snow storm and have or not it’s nothing aside from an aberration for a staff nonetheless in playoff place. However however, some could argue the Browns exposed the Steelers, particularly since Pittsburgh beat groups just like the Raiders, Jets and Giants throughout their win streak.
No matter anybody’s opinion, we’re all going to search out out simply how good the Steelers are and if they’re really poised to make a playoff run of their last six video games.
Subsequent up is a matchup with Joe Burrow and the Bengals, a bunch determined for a win however could easily be 9-2 instead of 4-7. Burrow can be having a season that will be worthy of NFL MVP consideration if on a contending staff.
After the journey to Cincinnati, the Steelers will search for revenge towards Cleveland at dwelling, then journey to Philadelphia to tackle the Eagles earlier than closing the common season with video games towards the Ravens, the back-to-back defending Tremendous Bowl-champion Chiefs and yet another battle with the Bengals.
None of these video games may be known as “simple” and they’re all video games Pittsburgh might lose, actually in the event that they play something like they did in Cleveland. And dropping sufficient of these video games might smash the primary half of the season, presumably costing the Steelers a playoff delivery all collectively or forcing them right into a low-seed state of affairs, which has been a catalyst to the franchise’s seven-year drought with no playoff win.
