Are Steelers still capable of obtaining a winning record?

The Steelers may have an unflattering record right now, but finishing with a positive one still feels very much possible as they enter Week 12.

As every yinzer knows, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has never suffered a losing season in his time with the prestigious franchise. But, despite the fact that his legacy has already been immortalized as a result of that commendable fact, his luck has been widely expected to run out this time around.

Such an expectation is certainly justified, as 3-7 is the worst record that the Steelers have seen in their first 10 games since 2003. To no surprise, the 2003-04 season was also the last to see Pittsburgh finish below .500 (6-10). So yeah, the fear of seeing a negative run is rather valid when reading this room.

After a disheartening home loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, you’d think that both the Steelers and their fans would have very little to smile about as they enter the remainder of their season (and them now also having a losing record in divisional play doesn’t do much to help that, either).

However, combining the performance seen in the Cincy loss with the relatively weak slate on the horizon leaves a ludicrous—yet very interesting—question.

Can Steelers earn a winning record?

Let’s start by taking a look at the loss to the Bengals, as that is our most recent frame of reference when pinpointing where exactly Pittsburgh stands today.

The loss was ultimately not very strong in quality, as it was dealt by a flawed team that held a convincing advantage late. However, the Steelers showcased a fair amount of playmaking prowess on both sides of the ball; they mainly did so by further solidifying their offensive identity while multiple defensive talents (most notably T.J. Watt) came up big on several snaps throughout the affair.

Things also looked promising in a statistical sense, as Pittsburgh scored the most it has in a game all season (30). Speaking of the offense’s production, quarterback Kenny Pickett threw a touchdown pass for the first time since Oct. 23 and saw his 2nd-most passing yards in an NFL game to date (265).

Both Watt’s explosive return and the rising offense would be enough to give Steelers fans a glimmer of hope regardless of who all still stood in their way. That’s exactly what puts things over the top, though: the majority of Pittsburgh’s future opponents have struggled a great deal, themselves.

The coming weeks have little in store for the Steelers

Of the seven remaining matchups, five are set against teams that have losing records today. There is only one name on the upcoming slate that has a win percentage above .500, and that is the Baltimore Ravens—a team that has inexcusably struggled with sweeping Pittsburgh for years (they have done so only once since the 2015-16 stretch).

If the Steelers can win enough of those games, which they clearly have the potential to, they can lock up a non-losing record for the 19th season in a row. However, let’s not ignore just how tall of an order that is.

Assuming that the Steelers can manage to split their meetings with Baltimore, they will also have to win every other game to finish…9-8. Is that a particularly probable outcome? No, and sweeping Baltimore isn’t something to hold your breath on, either.

Oh, and while we’re on the topic, let’s go ahead and write off the chances of there being any ties, as they are only less likely. With that in mind, there isn’t even much hope for Pittsburgh to break even.

Do the Steelers have a realistic chance to finish this season without a losing record? Unfortunately, it looks like they do not. But nonetheless, such a dream is still within reach, and the potential shown against Cincinnati has helped fuel the fire that can hopefully make it a reality.