The Pittsburgh Steelers seemed to have a playoff spot on lock going into their Week 12 matchup with the Cleveland Browns. The Steelers had a one and a half game lead over the Baltimore Ravens for the AFC North's top spot, but that has dwindled after getting upset by the Browns on Thursday Night Football. The Steelers are still in a good position to get a spot in the playoffs, whether that be by winning the division or as a Wild Card team.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' Mike Tomlin on the field before facing the Cleveland Browns in Week 12 of the 2024 season.
Head Coach Mike Tomlin has struggled in road, in-division games on Thursday nights, and those struggles continued. He has still never won a game in that scenario, which is hard to believe since he has been the head coach in Pittsburgh since 2007. This loss hurt Pittsburgh, but they still have a record of 8-3 and stand near the top of the AFC. Pittsburgh does have a gauntlet of a remaining schedule, which was discussed by Jason McIntyre and Colin Cowherd of The Herd.
"Have you looked at the Steelers schedule by the way?" McIntyre asked Cowherd. "I'm not saying the sky's falling, but could you have two more wins on their schedule? Here it is, find me the next two wins on that they have. 9-8 does that get them in? Are they in over Miami or Denver?"
McIntyre is certainly reacting to the loss strongly. Pittsburgh only getting one more win on the season and finishing the regular season 9-8 is the worst-case scenario, but it is certainly feasible considering how difficult the remaining schedule is.
When asked for two more wins on the schedule, Cowherd responded with the last remaining game against Cleveland and one of the two contests against the Cincinnati Bengals. If Pittsburgh only won those two games, they would be 10-7 and likely still get into the postseason.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin stands on the sideline as snow pours down during a 2024 Thursday Night Football contest against the Browns in Cleveland, OH.
Pittsburgh plans to finish the season with more than 10 wins. Fans and people in the media went from saying the team was a serious Super Bowl contender to a team on the fringe of the postseason, which is an unbelievable overreaction. Big wins and embarrassing losses are just a part of the natural ebbs and flows of an NFL season, and the Steelers are going to go through that just like every other good team.
The remaining schedule for the Steelers is hard. They will take on the Cincinnati Bengals twice, the Browns one more time, the Ravens one more time, the Kansas City Chiefs, and Philadelphia Eagles. That is extremely hard for any team to go against, but the Steelers knew that going into the year.
Tomlin's teams usually play well at the end of the season and that trend should continue into 2024. There is no reason the Steelers wouldn't be able to still win a handful of games and be a in a good position by the time the playoffs roll around.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' George Pickens makes an incredible touchdown catch against the Washington Commanders in Week 10 of the 2024 season.
Steelers Have Proven To Play Well Against Good Teams
All three of the Steelers losses on the 2024 season have come against teams with a record below .500. While that is embarrassing, it also means the Steelers have played well against teams above .500. Pittsburgh is 5-0 against teams with a winning record, which includes impressive wins over Baltimore and the Washington Commanders. The Steelers have proven they can compete against good teams in the league, which is not something they could say confidently in recent years.
Every remaining game on Pittsburgh's schedule will be highly competitive as they all come against Super Bowl contenders or divisional rivals. It won't be easy for the Steeler to win the AFC North, but it is certainly in play even after an embarrassing loss to the Browns.
What record do you think the Steelers will finish with? What will they be in the postseason? Let us know in the comments below!
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