The Steelers' playoff chances got a little boost — they are now at least on life support — Sunday when the Dolphins lost to the Packers.
Had the Dolphins won, the Steelers would basically have needed the equivalent of hitting a Hail Mary from their own 10 to get to the playoffs.
Now, they can move up to their own 15 and try and hit the same long shot. In other words, it is still very bleak, but there is at least a path for them to make it that doesn't involve some divine intervention.
That the upcoming Steelers-Ravens game would definitely be relevant to the Steelers' playoff hopes at kickoff was what I was feeling Sunday after the Dolphins lost. However, that was before I read that the NFL had flexed the Steelers-Ravens game to the "Sunday Night Football" game.
It is usually a big deal because when they flex a game because it's one the league views as extremely desirable and/or one with lots of stakes. The teams that are on "Sunday Night Football" are, in general, teams that are going to generate some interest and, by extension, better ratings.
In this case, I am not sure why the NFL did this to the Steelers because it is entirely possible that now, playing the last game of the day, the Steelers could actually be eliminated from the playoffs by the time their game kicks off.
The Chargers played the Colts on Monday and the Rams on Sunday, which means they have two chances to get to nine wins and could even get to 10. At just nine wins — the most possible for the Steelers to achieve — they pose all kinds of tie-breaker issues for the Steelers.
And then the Dolphins, who have gone into the tank recently, have yet another chance Sunday afternoon to get to nine wins, and they pose tiebreaker issues for the Steelers, as well.
If both teams get to nine wins before the Steelers and Ravens kick off, the Steelers will then be playing a meaningless game, which is something that has rarely happened under Mike Tomlin's watch.
The Steelers can blame their losses to AFC teams like the Jets, Dolphins and Patriots for the predicament that they are in. In fact, they could have the same record (7-8) as they currently do, and if they won those three games and lost to three of those dreadful NFC South teams instead, they would be in much better shape. That's because one of the main tie-breakers is conference record and the Steelers are currently 3-7 in AFC games.
There are two ways that this season can be viewed if the Steelers don't make the playoffs despite finishing strong, and it all depends on your perspective. But the truth, as usual, lies somewhere in the middle.
Even if the Steelers win out and finish 9-8 and keep the "Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season" streak alive, some with say that if they don't make the playoffs, it's a wasted season. They will point to some of those aforementioned losses as the reason why they are on the outside looking in. And they will point to the fact that all of those games were very winnable but the Steelers came up short for a variety of reasons, and that is not acceptable.
The standard for the Steelers is making the playoffs and winning in the playoffs, and this would be the sixth season in a row that the Steelers have failed to win a playoff game. Their current streak of five consecutive seasons without a playoff win is already the longest since the five seasons leading up to the Immaculate Reception in 1972, and Chuck Noll was only responsible for three of them.
The fact that the streak could get to six is tough to reconcile with an organization that prides itself on winning in the playoffs.
The flip side is if they win out, they will have finished with a four-game winning streak and winning six of their last seven. They will talk about how this team is full of young players, how this sets them up for a return to playoff glory next year and beyond, and how they have a quarterback already in place who has grown up and learned. The discussion will be about how 9-8 is not at all bad for a rebuilding season.
Again, you can choose whatever storyline you want, but the truth is somewhere in the middle, with something along the lines of: This was a solid rebuilding year and there was seemingly a foundation built for the future, but their late-season success had more to do with the quality of opponents than anything the Steelers did. As for Kenny Pickett and the offense, there have been strides but they still struggle to score and have a lot to prove.
Regardless of the outcome of the season, however, the Steelers being moved to "Sunday Night Football" suggests they are still playing a meaningful football game late in the season, and that's a far cry from where we feared they might be when they began 2-6. That is a nice sentiment, but the NFL didn't think it through very well because it is entirely possible the game will be meaningless by the time it kicks off.
