The Pittsburgh Steelers face the 3rd toughest remaining schedule in the NFL. It begins with 3 games in 12 days, against some not-so-desirable opponents.
“We do not live in our fears” is a phrase commonly used by Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin to describe upcoming challenges. He’s gained a reputation for his creative and sometimes confusing one-liners over the years. They have come to be known as “Tomlinisms” among the Steelers faithful.
Steelers First Half
The Steelers began the season with big questions. Not about the defense, which has always and will always be their strength. Not about offensive coordinator, which had been the talking point until former Falcons Head Coach Arthur Smith was hired. It was about the quarterback, and who would be the starter. Russell Wilson started camp with “pole position”, but injured his calf, allowing Justin Fields to take first-team reps into the start of the regular season.
Fields led the Steelers to a 4-2 record and put Tomlin in position for his 19th straight non-losing season. With Wilson finally healthy, Tomlin made the unpopular decision to bench Fields in favor of Wilson. Even though “the standard is the standard” in Tomlin’s eyes, the standard in Pittsburgh is Super Bowl trophies, not non-losing seasons.
Wilson unlocked the offense, going 2-0 in his starts so far and averaging 31.5 ppg as opposed to the 20.6 ppg under Fields. Tomlin once said regarding QB controversies “There’s just no need to land the plane until it’s required to land the plane”. Well the plane has officially landed and Russell Wilson is the pilot.
3 Games in 12 Days
The Steelers are coming off their bye week which was used to “narrow our focus so we can make victory more fluid over the 2nd half of the year in terms of our performance” and “for those who are leaking a little bit or lack 100% health to regain some of that and get on a moving train”. Tomlin Press Conference 11/5
Get better and get healthy. Got it.
Washington Commanders (Week 10 – 11/10)
In Week 10 the Steelers head to Landover, MD to face the first-place Washington Commanders and their rookie of the year candidate quarterback, Jayden Daniels. The Commanders have been the surprise of the season in the NFL, which has Head Coach Dan Quinn as a leading candidate for coach of the year.
The Steelers are familiar with Jayden Daniels’ style as they play a similar QB in 2-time MVP Lamar Jackson twice a year, with success I should add. In 6 games Jackson has a 2-4 record with 4 TD passes and 7 INTs.
Jayden Daniels isn’t all the Commanders have to offer. They deploy a strong inside run game and attacking defense. Dan Quinn has brought a high level of physicality to Washington that is sure to match the Steelers’ style.
Neither the Commanders nor the Steelers have faced the brunt of their schedules yet, but this is where it begins. A victory against Washington in week 10 would give the Steelers the momentum they need for this difficult 12-day stretch.
Baltimore Ravens (Week 11 – 11/17)
Baltimore kicked off week 10 with a win against Cincinnati on Thursday Night Football. The Ravens now get 10 days of rest before their game in Pittsburgh against their rival Steelers.
The Steelers will be coming off a regular week’s rest after a tough game against the Commanders.
Football fans know the nature of these Steelers/Ravens games. They are hard-fought, low-scoring defensive struggles. Franchises that mirror each other in philosophy and success. Both teams are built to run the ball, stop the run, and above all else – play physical.
The Steelers will have no problem finding the motivation to put the aches and pains behind them for this AFC North clash. The winner of this one will limp away from week 11 as the division leader.
Cleveland Browns (Week 12 – 11/21)
One of the golden rules of football is that in divisional games you throw out the record. That couldn’t be further from the truth when it comes to Steelers/Browns. The Steelers are 40-11-1 since the Browns returned to the NFL in 1999. Utter dominance over the team once recognized as a Steelers rival.
That being said, this game is being played 5 days after facing the Baltimore Ravens. After attempting to tackle the well-rested, 6’2” 247-pound Derrick Henry 20+ times, the Steelers get the run-first Cleveland Browns.
The Browns have had their well-documented problems but just two weeks ago they beat the Baltimore Ravens, proving that they can play with anyone when they are on their game.
Coming off back-to-back games against playoff teams in the Ravens and Commanders, and then playing their 3rd game in 12 days against the sneakily physical Browns – it could be a tougher game than expected for the Steelers.
Many teams get the unfortunate stretch of 3 games each year in 12 days. This one feels particularly tough though, based on the timing of their opponents. Although, it’s just the beginning of the difficult remaining schedule.
Quest for Seven
The journey to the Steelers’ 7th Lombardi trophy doesn’t end after this 3-game stretch. The division play has just begun. They will still face the Ravens and Browns again, plus the Bengals twice. Also on the schedule are the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs (on Christmas Day) who have a current combined record of 14-2.
Mike Tomlin played this one correctly. He established the identity of this year’s team early and most importantly, who to start at QB. Russell Wilson will lead the “moving train” going forward and will not have a short leash.
For a coach who has a strong reputation for non-losing seasons, this may be his best coaching job yet. He’s seemingly made all the right moves so far, but the true tests are coming. We may not “live in our fears” but, “the standard is the standard” and that means Super Bowl victories. Nothing less.
For a preview of all of the games this weekend check out this video