The Steelers are in a bad way entering the second half of the 2022 season, and fans shouldn’t be ridiculed for how they choose to root this year.
When the Pittsburgh Steelers are tough, talented, and competitive, there’s never a reason fans should be rooting against them. But what happens when they are none of those things? Statistically, this is the worst team Mike Tomlin has been in charge of since taking over as head coach in 2007, and it has a chance to be one of the worst we have seen in decades.
As the Steelers get set to enter Week 10 with a record of just 2-6, there has been a ton of controversy as to what fans should be rooting for. Some fans on social media claim that it’s ridiculous to ever root for a loss. They claim that the goal is to win and that Pittsburgh should try to do it week in and week out — no matter what.
Other fans have resorted to belittling comments and name-calling of people who ‘claim to be’ Steelers fans but are rooting for a loss. In my opinion, these comments are nonsensical.
Honestly, I can see both sides of the argument when it comes to rooting for wins or losses this year. I get where these fans are coming from. Winning is the goal and it’s why we typically watch our favorite team play. However, don’t think for a second that rooting for a Steelers loss, considering the circumstances, makes you a bad fan. In fact, I would argue that the fans doing so care more about the future of this franchise.
Steelers could really benefit from losing
I know this seems like an oxymoron, but I truly believe the Pittsburgh Steelers could benefit from an all-out tank. This is obviously something Mike Tomlin would never stand for, but whether intentional or otherwise, losing in 2022 could be what’s best for this team in the long run.
The Steelers are a bad football team; there’s really no other way to put it. In addition to averaging just 15.0 points per game and being dead last in passing yards per attempt and yards per play, the Steelers are -77 in point differential. Their average loss margin of -9.6 points is good for 32nd in the NFL.
Even with the team starting to get healthy and T.J. Watt returning soon, that won’t solve all of their issues — particularly on the offensive side of the ball (where the Steelers have already been extremely healthy this year). Quite frankly, this team has a talent deficiency that badly needs to be addressed.
We knew that Tomlin could only keep his streak of no losing seasons going for so long. At this point, trying to keep your head above water with a .500 record is only hurting a team that realistically deserves to have a top draft choice.
The fans rooting for the Steelers to lose this year know this. They understand that the team isn’t going to be competitive this year no matter what, and instead of settling for another unspectacular pick in the middle of the first round, they want Pittsburgh to get elite talent that could help reshape a franchise desperate for a true rebuild.
Even if the Steelers went 7-2 from this point on and finished with a 9-8 record, they aren’t suddenly fooling us into believing that they are a team that can go toe-to-toe with Kansas City or Buffalo. Until they fix their talent issues, this team isn’t competing for a Super Bowl (and these fans know that).
The fans rooting for the Steelers to lose in 2022 have the best interest of the future of the team in mind. This doesn’t mean they are fraudulent fans. If you are part of this camp, don’t feel bad. We know that Pittsburgh will get there again. It’s just going to take some time.