Pittsburgh gets to relax this week as the Steelers enjoy their bye week. They currently sit on top of the AFC North division despite the odd way of getting there. They might be sitting on the top of the mountain right now, but they kind of stumbled their way to that point. The Steelers will make no complaints about where they currently sit, but they have a lot of improvements that need to be made.
The hope is that this club can find different ways to reset and get better over the next week with the extra time off. Getting some rest and stability in terms of their health moving forward will be a welcome addition. The black and gold have one of the easier schedules this year according to most experts so they should have a shot at making the playoffs if all goes to plan.
Things to pay close attention to for the remainder of the Steelers season
The offense will be the obvious thing to watch during the remaining 12 games on the schedule for Pittsburgh. They will constantly have issues if they cannot get this group going and score more than a couple of touchdowns. The defense is another underlying problem that is not getting much attention because of how poor the offense is.
Stopping the run needs to occur even though the secondary, especially cornerback is a massive problem. Stopping the run and rushing the passer has the be something that the Steelers defense focuses on after the bye week. If they are able to do that and continue their splash plays, then it might limit how much they need the offense to step up.
There are plenty of winnable games for the Steelers during their final stretch of the season. Teams in the NFL normally start to fall off during this part of the year, but Mike Tomlin can normally keep his guys motivated enough to get past that non-losing season that people seem to hate to hear anymore. It is going to be another stressful couple of months ahead for Pittsburgh unless this team can somehow change things completely.
Most of the Still Curtain staff has the Steelers winning more games than losing
"The Steelers somehow find a way to enter their bye week in first place of the AFC North, but records can be deceiving. Pittsburgh is playing like a much worse team than their current divisional status would suggest. Meanwhile, their average scoring margin is -6.2 points per game. Once again, it feels like this team is destined for a final around .500." - Tommy Jaggi (9-8)
"Although the Steelers are leading the AFC North at the bye week, the reign will be short-lived. Looking objectively at the rest of the Steelers schedule, there are several tough matchups ahead, both at home and on the road. The final three games of the regular season will decide whether or not we make the playoffs. Since the last two games are on the road, the Steelers will lose both games and end any hope of the playoffs." - Eric C Hassel (9-8)
"The Steelers come out of the bye with some juice going 4-2 in their next 6 games. After a questionable start to the season, Pittsburgh’s offense figures out an identity (albeit not the greatest) and plays good enough to finish second place in the AFC North." - Dawson King (10-7)
"Their schedule gets easier from here on out. However, I have doubts about how good this team is currently. Unless the offense improves drastically every game might be a close call and that’s just too hard to sustain." - Blaze (10-7)
Final prediction has the Steelers keeping their non-losing season streak alive
Pittsburgh will have a 50/50 road and home split when it comes to their final 12 games of the season. That could present some challenges, but the NFL should start to separate between the good teams and the bad teams with each passing week from now on. The Steelers seem to be about average at best yet again and that should lead to another rocky path in front of them.
There are plenty of winnable games on the stretch run of the season for the Steelers, but they could also lose those games if they're not careful. The offense needs to at least go from dead in the water to an animal that can swim at a near snail's pace to have a chance at the playoffs. It is going to be stressful and ugly for fans to watch, but this team should have a shot.
Final record prediction: 9-8
It will all come down to if the black and gold can win the games that they are perceived to win. If they can accomplish that, then this club will make the playoffs. If they are as bad as their blowout losses from now on, then they will likely be one of the top picks in the upcoming NFL draft this spring. Seven of their last 12 games will be against AFC opponents and that will be their guide to the playoffs.
If they can win those seven, then they will have a great chance of making the playoffs in a wild card spot at the worst. The Steelers need to compete in the remaining AFC matchups that they have left on their schedule and right now it seems like they might be able to. If their defense can find a way to sure up their secondary and make splash plays and the offense can show signs of life, then this club will sneak into the playoffs. It is unlikely based on what we have seen thus far though.