December 7th, 2020 the Pittsburgh Steelers were undefeated 11-0 heading into a game against the Washington Football Team with high momentum. The Steelers had an opportunity to clinch the playoffs three weeks ago for the first time since 2017. The Steelers were stunned after their Week 13 game against the Washington Football Team and have not recovered since. The Steelers then had two primetime games in which they could show what their team is really about, but they ended up sputtering. The Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals both ended up on top in Weeks 14 and 15.
The worst part about the Steeler's last three games was they ended up losing to a third-string quarterback Ryan Finley last night during a primetime game. How embarrassing. Not to mention the Bengals were 2-10-1 and have one of the worst defenses in the NFL right now. Ben Roethlisberger only ended up with 170 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception against a terrible defense. The rushing game came alive somewhat, but it was not playoff winning football by any standard. Benny Snell ended up with 18 rushes, 84 yards, and 1 touchdown. The Steeler's defense ended up with only 2 sacks and no turnovers against a third-string quarterback!? Unacceptable football coming from a team who was 11-0 coming into Week 13.
So where do the Steelers go from here? Well, they get to play at home against a 10-4 Colts team who have won 5 of their last 6 games. Both teams are pretty similar in regards to having a good defense, but not so great offenses. They also aren't favored to win on Sunday. Regardless of the noise, the Steelers MUST win their game this Sunday. They cannot afford to go into Cleveland during Week 17 and play an early playoff game for the AFC North crown. If you thought the Steelers were hurting now just wait until they are done playing that game. The goal is to get into the playoffs healthy and not come in limping. That would devastate the Steelers playing an early playoff game and then having to come in the next week as a Wild-Card team. If there are any positives to come out of all of this mess it would be for the Steelers to beat the Colts on Sunday and win the AFC North. That would be a good start. It would also allow the Steelers to gain back confidence and pick up the pieces heading into the playoffs. Time is running out on the Steelers and they better figure it out soon or they will see themselves being sent home in week 1 of the playoffs.
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