Steelers vs. Browns: 5 things to know about Pittsburgh's Week 2 matchup
By Cory Rogers
Eventual Division winners don’t always win in week 1
Just in case you were wondering, it’s too early in the season to abandon ship. The Steelers got beat by a much better team in week 1, but that doesn’t mean they can’t, or won’t, get better.
In fact, in the NFL’s last two seasons alone, eventual division champions have posted a 9-7 record (.563) on opening weekend.
Yes, you read that right…eventual division champs Cincinnati, Jacksonville, and San Francisco all lost their first game last season. Buffalo, Tennessee, Dallas, and Green Bay did the same in 2021. So, all hope is not lost for a successful season because of losing the first game.
Critics may say that those teams didn’t lose at home. Those critics are wrong. Cincinnati lost at home to Pittsburgh last season, while Buffalo fell to the Steelers at home in 2021.
Others might point out that the eventual division champs may have lost, but they weren’t embarrassed in their season-opener like the Steelers were Sunday. They would be wrong as well.
Green Bay lost 38-3 at New Orleans in 2021, only to win 13 of their next 15 games. The 35-point defeat came at the hands of a Saints team that didn’t even make the playoffs.
That same season, Tennessee opened its season with an embarrassing 38-13 loss AT HOME to Arizona. The 25-point margin of defeat was largely forgotten, as the Titans won 12 of their last 16 to capture the AFC South by three full games.
Outside of the last two seasons, there was another team that started off slow but did fairly well. In 2017, New England lost by 15 points (42-27) at home in the season-opener against Kansas City. The Patriots rallied to win 13 of 15 and advanced to the Super Bowl that season.