Despite the miserable loss to the Browns in the midst of miserable weather in Cleveland, the Steelers are still 8-3. But did their 24-19 defeat at the hands of a Browns team that’s struggled and endured drama all season expose Pittsburgh as a pretender more than a contender?
Well, we are going to surely find out soon enough based on the gauntlet in front of the Steelers.
Entering the week, Mike Tomlin and the Steelers were riding high after beating another division rival in the Ravens, 18-16, for their fifth straight win. Most of the critics who were upset Tomlin benched Justin Fields — he led the Steelers to a 4-2 record as the starter — were coming around and realizing the offense was having more success with Russell Wilson under center.
But then came the new week and Thursday night.
And on Thursday night, the Browns — a team that’s just 3-8 after the win — was able to get the win even though they lost the turnover battle, 3 to 1, and total yards, 368 to 304.
On one hand, it’s possible to chalk this game up to a loss to a rival in a snow storm and have it be nothing other than an aberration for a team still in playoff position. But on the other hand, some could argue the Browns exposed the Steelers, especially since Pittsburgh beat teams like the Raiders, Jets and Giants during their win streak.
Regardless of anyone’s opinion, we are all going to find out just how good the Steelers are and if they are truly poised to make a playoff run in their final six games.
Next up is a matchup with Joe Burrow and the Bengals, a group desperate for a win but could easily be 9-2 instead of 4-7. Burrow is also having a season that would be worthy of NFL MVP consideration if on a contending team.
After the trip to Cincinnati, the Steelers will look for revenge against Cleveland at home, then travel to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles before closing the regular season with games against the Ravens, the back-to-back defending Super Bowl-champion Chiefs and one more battle with the Bengals.
None of those games can be called “easy” and they are all games Pittsburgh could lose, certainly if they play anything like they did in Cleveland. And losing enough of those games could ruin the first half of the season, possibly costing the Steelers a playoff birth all together or forcing them into a low-seed situation, which has been a catalyst to the franchise’s seven-year drought without a playoff win.
