Pittsburgh is known for its extensive network of bridges. With the reaction of many fans to the Steelers performance early this season, one might gather that a number of them are ready to jump off the nearest one they can find.
After last Thursday’s 26-6 loss to their bitter rival, the Baltimore Ravens, I suppose it’s understandable.
Let me try and calm you down if I may, and talk you down off the ledge.
As fans, it’s easy to react in the moment, we become prisoners of recency. Just yesterday, I sat at the Pirates game, I overheard a guy sitting the row in front of me calling the home team “bums” who “must not realize they are in a pennant race.” About an hour later, after the Bucs must have “figured out” the importance of the game, and stormed back for an emphatic win, I overhead this same guy saying, “this team can still win the division!”
Gotta love the ups and downs of being a fan.
With 14 regular season games still left to go, count me in as someone who still believes the 1-1 Steelers can compete for a playoff spot, and maybe even a division title. Maybe that is a leap of faith, and I am sure many of you will tell me the various reasons why that is a pipe dream. Early on, you actually have a good bit of empirical data to bolster your argument; not just negative emotions and visceral responses after the first two weeks.
Many will point to the last six quarters of play for the Steelers, where they have been outscored during that span by a 50-9 margin, and the offense has no TD’s.
My counter would be let’s give the Steelers a little bit of a pass in the Cleveland game. They got complacent in a game that for intents and purposes, was a runaway win. I’m not excusing what happened, just saying there might be a natural reaction by teams, especially in Week 1, to let off the gas a little bit after a dominating first half performance.
You may also notice, maybe Cleveland is a pretty good team. They have quietly been putting a roster of solid defensive players together and they did indeed beat a pretty darn good New Orleans Saints team yesterday.
Another point of contention for many is the poor rush defense, where the Steelers have given up an average of 170 yards per game, which places them 29th in the league in that category. I wrote about my concern for the rush defense, and in particular, the defensive line’s role in stopping the run before the season started.
With that in mind, I can understand and relate to those worries.
However, let’s give Dick LeBeau and his defensive staff an opportunity to right the ship before we jump off of it. With 10 days to turn the page and now prepare for Carolina, let’s see what kind of adjustments will be made before Sunday night’s primetime tilt with the Panthers.
I think this upcoming game is an opportunity to get things on the right track. Carolina comes in 23rd in the league in total offense, and they do not exactly have a ton of offensive weapons at their disposal. With so much time to get prepared for Cam Newton and company, I fully expect the Steelers to play much better on defense.
It’s understandable to look at Thursday night’s game in Baltimore and feel down on the Steelers. Keep in mind however that the offense was able to move the ball against the Ravens, and only some self inflicted mistakes (and a few tough calls) kept the Steelers from making this game another typical Ravens-Steelers dogfight.
Some believed that the Ray Rice story would be a distraction. In the end, it seemed to be more of a reason for a Ravens team, a little over a season removed from a Super Bowl title, to circle the wagons and get a key divisional win at home.
Did anyone really believe the Steelers would go into the hornets nest that is M&T Bank Stadium in a prime time game, play a rival that absolutely despises them and not face a serious test?
Sure, they most certainly failed that test, but the Ravens were going to fight with everything they had in front of a raucous crowd to make sure they did not start the season 0-2, especially with both losses in the division.
As ugly as the loss was on the surface, and on the scoreboard, I did not come away shocked by the result. The loss did not count for more than one, and the Steelers are still 1-1 with plenty of time to make amends for a disappointing showing Thursday.
The next three games, which includes a home game against Tampa Bay and a trip to Jacksonville after Sunday night’s contest against the Panthers, will give us all a much better indication of where the season might head the rest of the way. I fully expect the Steelers to have a very good chance to win all three, and maybe a 4-1 record will make the bridges of Pittsburgh a little less tempting.
If the Steelers struggle over that span, it might be a different tune from yours truly.
