When the average NFL team is suffering through a pedestrian, occasionally embarrassing 5-7 season, they often have no business making league headlines week after week. The Pittsburgh Steelers are, apparently, hardly average. For a franchise that has experienced so much success in the Super Bowl era and, more recently, in the past decade, the Steelers are certainly going through a strange and difficult time.
It began with four losses to start the season. Then, after appearing to right the ship a bit, there were the two embarrassing losses at Oakland and in New England, where they were blown out in record fashion. Cue the rumors from a nationally-known reporter that QB Ben Roethlisberger wanted a trade, which were widely discussed and even more widely disputed by he and his teammates. During halftime of a home game against the Buffalo Bills, the team went as far as to issue a statement denying any interest or alleged attempts to give away their most valuable property.
Three wins later and the Steelers and a fanbase believed again that there was hope for 2013 after all. However, a nail-biting loss to their most hated rivals on Thanksgiving night has left more than just a more difficult playoff picture in the weeks to come. As we all know, head coach Mike Tomlin had a severe lapse in judgment by purposefully positioning himself on the edge of the sideline in order to interfere with Baltimore kick returner Jacoby Jones. Tomlin has faced scrutiny and fielded questions all week, apologizing and acknowledging his mistake. It has taken focus away from the task at hand, defeating the Miami Dolphins. Miami (6-6) is among the five teams Pittsburgh must top to sneak into the final Wild Card spot in the AFC playoffs. Baltimore (6-6) would be in if the season ended after Week 13, due to victory over Miami earlier this season. A game behind those two, at 5-7, are the Tennessee Titans, Pittsburgh, San Diego, and the New York Jets.
A win over Miami would allow Pittsburgh to at least stay within one game of Baltimore, who has among the most difficult remaining schedules in the league. After what should be a win over Minnesota this week, Baltimore must face Detroit, New England, and Cincinnati, all current division leaders. Defeating the Dolphins would give the Steelers a head-to-head tiebreaker over them, in addition to the one they already hold over the New York Jets. The Steelers would lose a head-to-head tiebreaker over Tennessee, but the Titans are generally considered a weak contestant for that Wild Card berth based on recent performance, a backup starting quarterback, and remaining games at Denver and vs. Arizona.
While several pieces have to fall into place, the Steelers remarkably have a legitimate chance of getting into the playoffs. Winning three of four would give them an 8-8 record and may bring it down to tiebreakers in the final week. This crop of Pittsburgh veterans are mostly used to clinching a playoff berth weeks in advance, so this pedigree of December regular-season football is relatively rare in the Steel City. With the proper focus, appropriate application of adrenaline, and simply putting it to a warm-weather team at Heinz Field in December, the Steelers could be one step closer to beating the odds.
Miami, of course, has not exactly avoided the spotlight of negativity throughout the course of the season. Since offensive lineman Jonathan Martin left the team a few days prior to a Week 9 Thursday night game, the Dolphins have won three of five, alternating wins and losses. If that pattern continues, they have a loss awaiting them in Pittsburgh. Ben Roethlisberger is 5-0 against Miami in his career. Perhaps all or none of these trends will end on Sunday, but regardless of superstition or prediction, the Steelers simply need to center their attention on one opponent at a time. A winning streak resulted from the Roethlisberger controversy. One following the Tomlin controversy would also be quite welcome.
