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| There may be several more pictures like this is the Steelers secondary does not figure something out. Photo creds to www.bleacherreport.com |
The Steelers loss in Seattle this weekend can be summed up in one word: ugh. The Steelers wasted a fantastic performance from colonial Ben Roethlisberger with puzzling coaching decisions and a secondary that looked like it would be fit to play in the Big 12. Needless to say, spirits are not exactly sky high in the Steel City, and for good reason. At 6-5, Pittsburgh's playoff hopes are hanging by a thread. The Steelers secondary is a big issue, and changes are happening, but how much better will Brandon Boykin make things?
The Steelers play on Sunday night at home against the Indianapolis Colts, and the importance of this game cannot be understated. The Colts have for some reason been playing much better since Andrew Luck went down and old man Matt Hasselbeck took over at quaterback, and they have plenty of receiving depth to give Pittsburgh's dreadful secondary fits. It is a must win, and by no means an easy game.
The road only gets tougher from there, as the Steelers then will play at Cincinnati (9-2) and home against Denver (9-2) the next two weeks, and I don't like their chances in either one of those games because both of those teams are simply better than Pittsburgh. The Steelers are currently 8th in the AFC, which means that if the season ended today, they would be left out in the cold. Their 6-5 record is tied with the Jets and Chiefs, but KC has an edge because they defeated Pittsburgh, which means that they would win the head-to-head tiebreaker should they finish with the same records. The Jets have an easier remaining schedule than the Steelers do, so that does not help things either. This Sunday Night is pretty close to do or die for the Steelers, but even if they beat the Colts, I still am not optimistic about their playoff chances. Finishing 9-7 does not guarantee anything, and the Steelers will need a lot of help from other teams in the hunt if they want to sneak in, and that loss at Arrowhead Stadium could really come back to haunt the Black and Gold
Although the Steelers do have two cream puff games at Cleveland and Baltimore, the bottom line is that they will likely have to beat either Cincy or Denver to make the playoffs. Given all of the defensive issues, along with concerns for Ben Roethlisberger's possible concussion, I don't feel confident in their ability to do that. The Steelers secondary would struggle against a high school team at this point, and although Boykin should be an upgrade at over Antwon Blake at cornerback, how much is that saying? My message to all Steelers fans is to remain hopeful, but to keep in mind that this season could very well end without playoff football, and if that happens, we will look back and wonder if a play here or a play there went our way, oh what might have been? What if Roethlisberger and Bell were healthy for the whole season? What if the secondary didn't cough up that game in Seattle. What if, what if, what if. I'm not saying the Steelers can't make a run, as they still have plenty of talent at their disposal. I just don't envision it happening. I hope I am wrong.
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