Steelers must avoid looking ahead this week vs. the Cardinals
By Mike Morris
All things considered, this season has gone pretty well for the 7-5 Pittsburgh Steelers.
Doom and gloom may have reigned for the Steelers at times. Ben Roethlisberger’s season ended after not even two games. Mason Rudolph got beaned in the head with a helmet and was benched for third-stringer Devlin Hodges. JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Conner have struggled with injuries.
But somehow, Pittsburgh is 7-5 and find themselves not just in the hunt, but in position for a playoff spot as things currently stand.
The Steelers are in the sixth spot, two games behind the 9-3 Buffalo Bills. Who do they play next Sunday? Those very same first wild card spot-holding Buffalo Bills, in a game that has been flexed to primetime for Sunday Night Football, professional football’s biggest stage. The matchup at Heinz Field will be a key one in determining Pittsburgh’s postseason aspirations.
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After the Sunday night clash, the Bills take on the Patriots in a Saturday fixture, while the Black & Gold play the Jets that Sunday.
If Pittsburgh plays its cards right, it could find itself owning the tiebreaker in a tie for the top wild-card spot. But first, this week’s task at hand: the 3-8-1 Arizona Cardinals.
The Steelers cannot psych themselves out too much about the sizable amount of control they currently have over their own destiny, lest their confidence combines with underestimation of their opponent could result in yet another embarrassing loss caused by playing down to their opponent.
Tomlin-era teams have shown a penchant for that over the coach’s tenure, and it is essential not to let it happen today, or else the scenario laid out above will unravel before it can even start to come to fruition.
ESPN currently puts the Pittsburgh’s chances to win at 46.4%, despite the fact that they are two-point favorites in Glendale.
The Steelers’ defense has shown remarkable grit in the face of all the adversity befalling the team, and shutting down quarterback Kyler Murray will be key today. In addition to his 2,866 passing yards and 14:6 TD: INT ratio, Murray is the team’s leading rusher, tallying 71 carries for 446 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Next. 3 things Pittsburgh must do vs. the Cardinals. dark
Murray is the linchpin of a team that cannot be taken lightly if Pittsburgh is to further their playoff dreams. It’s cliched, but every game counts, and anything can happen on any given Sunday if the Steelers get complacent and let it.