Steelers Again Victim Of Disrespectful Takes As Bills And Chiefs Named The Teams To Beat In The AFC

The Pittsburgh Steelers celebrated their biggest win of the season after defeating the Baltimore Ravens 18-16 during their Week 11 matchup. The Steelers have defied every odd to win game after game this season. Prior to the start of the season, the Steelers heard that they didn't have much of a chance to win arguably the toughest division in football, the AFC North. The Ravens have been the odds-on favorite, with the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns close behind. They took this disrespect personally, fueling them to succeed. That success hasn't gotten them the respect they deserve from the national media. 

The Steelers started this season with several offensive changes. That included new Offensive Coordinator, Arthur Smith, new quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, and new offensive linemen. All of those new factors created a lot of question marks about how they would come together and perform. That was even though, on paper, Smith seemed to be a perfect fit for Pittsburgh, and Wilson seemed to be a perfect fit for Smith. 

Then Wilson was injured before the season even began, and everything went upside down as the offense adapted to Fields starting instead. Fields performed so well that everyone doubted his decision when Head Coach Mike Tomlin announced it was time to start Wilson. However, Tomlin showed everyone why he had never had a losing season in the Steel City, and Wilson showed everyone that he's still got it, starting at 4-0. 

Now, the Steelers are at the top of the AFC North at 8-2 and still cannot get any respect. On a recent episode of The Pat McAfee Show, former New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick was asked about the best teams in the AFC in the wake of the Buffalo Bills beating the Kansas City Chiefs during Sunday Night Football. 

"These two teams are two of the best teams," declared Belichick. "It was a great matchup, heavyweight fight. I thought that the leadership that Mahomes and Allen both gave after the game was really, really, impressive. I think that shows me why these teams are what they are. I think these guys showed a lot of maturity and that, 'Hey, there's a long way to go.' The team that wins the next game between these two teams is the one that's really good matter. Somebody's gonna have to go through Kansas City, and somebody's gonna have to go through Buffalo in order to get any further. It looks like those are the two best teams in the AFC."

The Steelers have heard all season that their next win will earn them respect, but apparently, that isn't the case. Pittsburgh will have to fight all season, like they have in other seasons, to earn the respect of those outside of the city.  

Steelers Finally Got Justin Fields Involved Again

Ever since Tomlin started Wilson, the media and fans have been clamoring for Fields to be used on special packages, and they finally did it. He didn't see much action, only three snaps, and it was far from a perfect showing. Fields came up short when he slid for a first down. However, he had an even bigger impact during the week of prep. 

The Steelers are fortunate to have a quarterback as mobile as Fields because he can help simulate players like Lamar Jackson and Jayden Daniels. Fields and third-string quarterback Kyle Allen can give the black and gold defense a taste of what they might be up against. 

While no one can fully replicate Jackson's incredible abilities, Tomlin was eager to acknowledge how helpful Fields had been. The Steelers might be doing something right because Jackson is 1-4 against Pittsburgh as a starter, and Pittsburgh has won eight of their last nine games against Baltimore. 

Do you think the Steelers are being disrespected? Click to comment below. 

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