Will the Steelers go 16-0 in the 2020 NFL season?

When 2020 began, the only question most Steelers fans had is would Ben Roethlisberger recover from his elbow injury and have another great season.

As concerning as Ben’s elbow injury was, many fans feared his career might be over. They prayed he would rebound in 2020.  Little did fans know Big Ben would recover, and then some. He has led the Steelers to a start that fans have only dreamt of for the last 42 seasons.  In an otherwise crazy year, Pittsburgh fans now ponder can the Steelers go 16-0? Really shouldn’t fans have expected the unpredictable?

At the start of the season, a 10-6 record would leave most fans content as long as Ben fully recovered. No one wanted to see Big Ben retire before Tom Brady. Then COVID hit, leaving fans to wonder if the season would happen at all. Then we had fanless football for the first time in NFL history and the NFL altered the schedules like never before. Unprecedented times for the NFL indeed.

Now headed into week nine, the Steelers are poised to have their best start ever. They will surpass the 78 Steelers if they beat Dallas. What’s crazier is that at least three of their games could have resulted in losses, and the Ravens game should have resulted in a loss. Pittsburgh rarely wins when down by ten at the half. However, 2020 is not a typical year. Given how crazy it’s been, perhaps 16-0 is not a pipe dream.

Ok, for the record, 16-0 seems highly improbable. Only the 72 Dolphins have managed an unblemished season. The Patriots came close, winning all the regular-season games, yet losing the one game that mattered most. So as we know, on any given Sunday, even the worst team can manage an upset. With the victory over the Ravens, many fans have considered an unbeaten season even if they have not said it aloud. Nonetheless, when one looks at the rest of the Steelers schedule, five games are very winnable, while four others may be difficult but not impossible.

So what are Pittsburgh’s chances of pulling off the improbable if not the impossible? Lets look at the games remaining on their schedule.