Steelers' Christian Kuntz With The Truth On How Tough Easy Games Are

The Pittsburgh Steelers suffered three devastating consecutive losses during the 2023 season to the Arizona Cardinals, New England Patriots, and Indianapolis Colts. Fans exploded with frustration. How could they lose three back-to-back games to teams they should have easily beaten? 

Recently, Christian Kuntz, the Steelers' long snapper, appeared on the Athletic Aesthetic podcast with hosts Vinnie Candelore and Tre Tipton. They discussed the skewed perceptions that fans often have about the challenges of playing professional sports. Kuntz said this seems especially true when it comes to those games that are supposed to be "guaranteed wins."

Kuntz hated how fans became accusatory when the Steelers lost those games. They acted like the Steelers promised the wins and let them down.

"We lost to the 2-11 Cardinals, everyone's like, 'How do you lose to the Cardinals?' It's like, what do you mean? They're getting paid just like like the rest of us, they got the same salary cap as us. They're d*mn good, everybody out there is unbelievable. What are you talking about? Then we lost to New England, everyone's like, "How'd you lose two in a row to those two teams?'"

The Steelers struggled to have consistent quarterback play or a reliable offense all season, but that stretch was even worse. Kenny Pickett was injured, and journeyman Mitch Trubisky was playing. While Pickett hadn't played lights-out that season, he could stage a comeback win. On the other hand, Trubisky reminded everyone why Head Coach Mike Tomlin had benched him after a handful of games at the start of the 2022 season. 

Kuntz said this is exactly why he doesn't worry about how tough the Steelers' 2024 schedule is supposed to be. He said any team could suffer injuries, could just not play well, and anything could happen. The Steelers can only control their performance. 

"Our coordinator, Danny Smith, always says he don't believe in upsets. Which is like the truest thing ever. The better team, the team that plays better will win the game. That's the most factual thing I've ever heard. In the NFL, there is no such thing as an upset, if you play better than them, you're winning, plain and simple," said Kuntz.

Tipton told them he doesn't like going to games in person; he prefers watching on TV. He said he struggles to maintain his composure when fans shout critical comments to players like, "You gotta catch that" and "How do you miss that tackle?" He knows from playing at the University of Pittsburgh that it is not as easy as people may think. 

While anything can happen on any given Sunday, the Steelers do have a very tough schedule on paper. Based on all known factors as of the offseason, the Steelers have the toughest NFL schedule, according to Sharp Football Analysis. That isn't surprising, considering the AFC North is widely considered as the toughest division in football.  

That means the Steelers can't afford to lose any of their "easier" games if they want to make it to and hopefully survive the playoffs this season. That is especially true because who they play late in the year isn't their only challenge. They have four prime time games and a game on Christmas Day. They also play three of their first four games on the road for the first time since 2017.  

Steelers Have Faced Tough Schedules Before

In 2008, the Steelers also faced a grueling schedule, and former cornerback Bryant McFadden recalled feeling worried. He said that anytime the schedule came up, people grumbled and predicted they would finish at the bottom of the division. 

We all know that they did not finish at the bottom. They finished first in the AFC North and went on to beat the Cardinals in the Super Bowl. McFadden attributes their success to the team's determination to prove everyone wrong.  

What do you think about Kuntz's comments? Do you think that fans lose sight of the big picture? Click to comment below. 

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