The Pittsburgh Steelers lost their fourth consecutive game on Saturday night, 19-17, to the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals’ playoff hopes were dashed on Sunday when the Kansas City Chiefs let anyone willing to put on a uniform play against the Denver Broncos. Andy Reid and his practice squad got drubbed 38-0 by Bo Nix and Sean Payton. The Broncos got a one-way ticket to play the Buffalo Bills.
Mike Tomlin and the Steelers are going to Baltimore in the totally nonscripted AFC North Hard Knocks series to play the Ravens. If you believe the NFL is a more polished version of the WWE, the rubber match between the Ravens and Steelers seems solid evidence. However, isn’t it possible that HBO would have preferred all three AFC North teams in the playoffs? Maybe we should briefly put the tin foil hats down regarding the NFL. Then again, maybe not.
Steelers NFL Storyline Is Compelling
It would be one impressive work if the NFL had the Steelers’ job to the Philadelphia Eagles, Ravens, Chiefs, and Bengals to set up a massive payoff on Wildcard weekend. During the Bengals’ loss, Troy Aikman drove home the narrative that Russell Wilson only threw home runs or check-downs. The playoff drought angles are slowly creeping in nationally, and ESPN ran out Adam Schefter to fuel the fire that Tomlin is underappreciated and the subject of trade rumors. I am sure the AEW contract… I mean, the trade rumors are totally legit.
On Saturday night, the Ravens will likely be without their most explosive wide receiver, Zay Flowers. However, they antagonize a key character, George Pickens, in true heel fashion, calling him soft. They are trying to bait the hotheaded wide receiver into making a mistake. The question is just how far the Ravens will go during their promos this week on NFL Smackdown.
The Ravens are getting a big push from the NFL. Now a ten-point underdog, Pittsburgh is not given much chance to stop it. Underappreciated baby face, insurmountable odds—the storyline, like all great ones, writes itself. The funny thing is that the NFL scriptwriters are forgetting some key details.
Steelers Recent History Could Work For Mike Tomlin
Until a 34-17 loss with half the starting defense missing, the Steelers had won eight of nine against the Ravens. Lamar Jackson, a potential three-time MVP, has played his worst against Tomlin teams. Add this to the fact that an extremely short-handed Steelers team was potentially a Russell Wilson fumble away from making the last meeting in Baltimore very interesting.
Steelers fans know all the lousy playoff history talking points. They know them nearly as well as the national media, which regurgitates the narrative of non-losing seasons and just how in demand Tomlin would be if he ever parted ways with the team. However, there are some key metrics that the prognosticators seem to be ignoring.
- The Steelers have never been a double-digit underdog to the Ravens. The lines are hovering around 10 points even with the news that the Ravens only Pro Bowl receiver in their history will not play. Tomlin has a staggering .600 plus winning percentage against the spread as an underdog according to the Bet MGM website. This fact is being ignored, with virtually every expert picking Baltimore.
- The Steelers have won eight of the last ten meetings between the teams. A lot is being made of Jackson and, to a lesser extent, Derrick Henry finally breaking out against the Pittsburgh defense. However, the possible three-time MVP has a history of underachieving in the playoffs. Pair that with his record against the Steelers; this may not be the mismatch many expect.
- John Harbaugh can’t get out of his own way. Pittsburgh is already a heavy underdog, so discussing that Flowers will be back in the divisional round seems a little presumptive. Pro athletes look for any edge. The opposing coach seems to be overlooking a bitter division rival who has owned them recently. It is exactly the kind of bulletin board material that should motivate veterans like Cam Heyward and Minkah Fitzpatrick.
Final Thoughts
At this point, aren’t the Steelers and Tomlin due? Yes, they have lost four in a row. The quarterback is old, and the coaching and game plan to be kind are antiquated. The only team in the AFC playoffs who can be drawn into a coaching pissing match is the Steelers opponent. It won’t solve the organizational issues, but it feels like the stars have finally aligned for a Tomlin game not to be a bad thing.
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