It's almost hard to believe the Pittsburgh Steelers are 7-2. Since Ben Roethlisberger's 2019 elbow injury, each season has been harsh.
We're a spoiled bunch because even with zero losing seasons and a few playoff appearances in between, faith in the process -- in "The Standard" -- was waning. For the fanbase and the media pundits, it was hard to see the gauntlet of division foes and playoff-caliber opponents on the remaining schedule and hold high expectations for Pittsburgh
Sure, the Steelers would play most games close and maybe even win a few. The question though, was would they head into the post-season like a team that would finally get over that hump to secure the first playoff victory since 2016.
I'm not getting ahead of myself here. The Steelers do still have to do that. And Pittsburgh certainly has room for improvement in the face of the challenge ahead.
Steelers are up for the challenge against daunting late-season schedule
But, they do look ready for that challenge. No, the Steelers aren't guaranteed to finish 9-0 post-BYE Week. However, they are ready to change the perception of how they perform against the best teams in the league.
After the game Sunday, head coach Mike Tomlin said the Washington Commanders, "A hot group. But we want to be the firemen, we want to put that stuff out."
Nearly every team ahead is a hot group, too. Most a red-hot.
Since Week 2, Pittsburgh has faced a row of teams trending in the wrong direction. Finally, the Steelers took on a team pointed directly at a playoff spot and post-season accolades. They met the challenge, struggled through it, and came out on top.
It wasn't pretty. T.J. Watt was nearly entirely neutralized by a team's starting backup tackle. Rookie phenom quarterback Jayden Daniels led three impressive touchdown drives. Russell Wilson was under constant pressure and threw his first interception in a Steelers uniform.
But they won. Even without any significant turnovers from the defense, even with a disastrous special teams failure early, the Steelers kept pace and squeaked out a win.
"It plays down to staying even-keeled, not getting too high, not getting too low," Cam Heyward said after the game. "It's understanding the cards you're dealt and going from there. We were down 10 and then we settled down a little bit and just said we've got to make stops.
"We have resilience. We have guys that can step up in moments. The moment's not too big."
That's how things go against the really good teams. The Steelers aren't likely to have another win similar to that of their Raiders, Jets, or Giants victories again. The combined record of the remaining teams is 29-18, and the two teams adding most to the loss column are playing their best ball right now. These games will not be easy.
Clearly, they will win. Sure, not all of them. But even an ounce of faith can be restored in "The Standard" after winning a game in which everything didn't go perfectly against a team like Washington. There's reason to feel some confidence and optimism in the journey ahead.