The preseason is over. For the Pittsburgh Steelers, the hard job now starts.
The first-place Steelers (10-3) have had a successful and hopeful three months, but it has mostly come at the expense of teams that will probably watch the playoffs on television.
Pittsburgh has won six of its games against teams with losing records right now. With the minor disclaimer that none of them are division leaders, the other four victories—Denver, the Chargers, Washington, and Baltimore—are good resume builders.
To be sure, those four clubs are looking up to others in the rankings in part because of Pittsburgh’s performance.
On Sunday, the Steelers will travel across the state to play the NFC powerhouse Philadelphia. This marks the beginning of an 11-day run in which Pittsburgh will also play the Ravens again and play Patrick Mahomes and the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs at Acrisure Stadium on Christmas Day.
Safety DeShon Elliott stated, “It’s just going to show us how good we can be.”
The fact that wide receiver Calvin Austin III needed to be reminded of the difficult stretch that lies ahead following Sunday’s comparatively drama-free 27-14 victory over Cleveland is evidence of the weekly tunnel vision that Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin cultivates.
“Who do we play again?” “Said Austin.”
Austin chuckled when he was reminded that three teams thoroughly anticipate visiting New Orleans on the second Sunday in February.
As Coach T states, it’s a five-star game because we’re in it, but that’s a difficult little stretch, he added. “We are aware that our performances will always be spectacular when we are on stage.”
Following a workmanlike victory over the Browns, in which the Steelers were determined to allow Cleveland to collapse under a barrage of penalties, missed field goals and turnovers, Austin and his teammates feel they’re ready for.
The Steelers are okay with the fact that more will probably be needed in the upcoming weeks. They have positioned themselves to perform tasks that the franchise hasn’t carried out in a long time.
Despite everything they have accomplished since early September, they are well aware that what happens next will determine the course of their season.
Yes, they would like a little more time to recover in between games. They were denied the choice by the gods of scheduling.
Well, anything.
“Man, it seems like the league already despises us,” Elliott remarked. “Everything is OK. We’re going to put forth a lot of effort, play those games, and end up winning 3-0.
What’s effective
Allowing everyone to eat. Russell Wilson’s insistence on involving any player with a skill position that qualifies appears nearly compulsive.
He made connections with ten different guys during the Bengals game a week ago. It was eight in the rematch against the Browns, including veterans Scotty Miller and Mike Williams, who have recently mostly been overlooked.
Following an impressive 20-yard third-down grab on the sideline in the third quarter, Tomlin greeted Miller with the well-known Tomlin-ism, “this isn’t a lightning strike,” which simply indicates that Miller put in all the effort required to succeed, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise when it comes.
