Are the Pittsburgh Steelers still a Super Bowl contender?

While the rest of the world talks about whether or not the Pittsburgh Steelers will make the playoffs, we ask the question – are they still a Super Bowl contender?

In the NFL, winning a Super Bowl doesn’t mean you’re the best team in football. In fact, history shows that most times the best team in football aren’t the ones taking home the trophy and sometimes aren’t even in the game.

The playoffs are about momentum. The Philadelphia Eagles weren’t the best team in football, they were playing the best team in football, but they were the hottest. When you’re riding enough energy into the postseason it makes big plays seem a little less risky which turns chances into successes.

So, are the Pittsburgh Steelers still Super Bowl contenders?

As of right now, no. This team is as still as a rock. Allowing two fourth-quarter comebacks have killed every bit of momentum they had before their three-game losing streak. Now, they’re hoping to regain with three games left.

Unfortunately, their final three games come against the Patriots, Saints and Bengals. Cincinnati isn’t much of a threat after Andy Dalton and A.J. Green’s season ended, but New England and New Orleans are two of the best teams in the NFL.

Regaining momentum before the playoffs is slim, but still do-able. Before losing three games, this team was considered an organization that could handle teams like the Patriots. Since then,  they’ve shown weaknesses on defense, coaching and special teams. All of which are serious concerns as of this moment.

Truthfully, none of these will be fixed before the postseason. The Steelers won’t find a Pro Bowl worthy defensive back or replace Keith Butler and Joey Porter and even with kicker tryouts happening, chances are Chris Boswell remains the team’s special teams go-to for the remainder of the season.

Instead, they’ll take these final three games as they come and move into the playoffs with holes. Most teams, Super Bowl contenders or not, head into the postseason the same way. None of the 32 teams in the NFL are perfect, as much as they look it before the playoffs.

There are holes everywhere. New England’s defense, Kansas City’s secondary, the Chargers’ injury-prone backfield. No team is about to be unstoppable in the AFC.

Pittsburgh blends right in. They may be at the bottom looking up, but they’re looking up to a list of teams they have as much talent as. They just need to execute that talent, which of course, they have trouble doing.

So, are the Steelers a Super Bowl contender? Right now, no, but it’s only the regular season. The next three weeks play a major role in the chances they bring to the table in Week 18.

A lot needs to be fixed, but none likely will. They’ll head to the first-round with holes just like every other Super Bowl hopeful. What happens once they get there solely depends on how their energy favors once the game starts.