The Pittsburgh Steelers are 11-0.
Despite all the distractions, changes to schedule, and not playing at their best, they defeated the Baltimore Ravens on Wednesday night by the score of 19-14.
The Steelers showed they are a good team and don’t need to be at their best to secure the win.
They just need to be good enough.
So that leads to the $64,000 question with 5 games left in the season.
Can the Steelers go undefeated?
Are they good enough to get 5 more wins?
The short answer is yes.
Here’s why.
1. Big Ben Is Playing Great
The 38-year-old two time Super Bowl Champion shows no sign of slowing down.
He entered 2020 as a definite question mark after suffering a season-ending elbow injury in Week 2 of the 2019 season.
Needless to say, tearing three tendons off the elbow bone is a tough one to come back from, and questions of retirement surfaced.
Ben talked about why he came back:
“I’m not saying that I have 10 years left in me, but I definitely feel that I have some really good years left in me. That was definitely a motivating factor; coming back and showing that I still have it in the tank. I still have a lot to give this team. I still have a lot to give the fans. And I still want to win Lombardis, and I say that with a plural on the end.”
His comeback has been spectacular.
He has 25 TD passes and only 6 INTs.
And he has 291 completions for 2,800 yards for a nearly 10 yard average per completion.
2. They Have Minimal Injury and COVID-19 Issues.
Their Reserve/COVID-19 list has C Maurkice Pouncey and RB James Conner on it.
Steelers are placing C Maurkice Pouncey on the Reserve/COVID list before today's game against the Baltimore Ravens, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 2, 2020
Yes, they are key losses, but the list is shorter than other teams.
A bigger long-term issue could be Bud Dupree‘s knee injury that occurred during the Ravens game.
Initial tests show LB Bud Dupree has a torn ACL and is done for the year.
Devastating blow to the defense and for Bud himself. He deserves so much better.
— SteelerNation (@SteeIerNation) December 3, 2020
3. The Next 5 Opponents Are Beatable.
Remaining opponents on the Steelers regular season schedule are Washington, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, and Cleveland.
The Steelers have beaten the Bengals and Browns in previous games this season.
Washington is playing better with QB Alex Smith, but this game is very winnable even with minimal prep time.
That leaves Buffalo and Indianapolis; both could be tricky games but still they can win them.
The only question mark could be if the Steelers decide to rest the starters because the bye week and home-field advantage are already secured.
Can the backups beat an improving Cleveland Browns team in Week 17?
With all that said, let’s take it one step further.
Can the Steelers be perfect?
Are they able to win all the playoff games and the Super Bowl?
The 1972 Dolphins did it, but the 2007 Patriots fell short in the Super Bowl.
.@jhathhorn with us: "Dolphins, Patriots a few years ago be damned. If the Steelers go unbeaten in this year, it is by far the greatest undefeated regular season ever. By far."
— The Fan Morning Show (@FanMorningShow) December 1, 2020
Perfection is a tall order especially with the Chiefs involved in a potential AFC Championship Game.
It’s hard to say what will happen.
Never count the Steelers out because they have managed the adversity of this bizarre 2020 NFL season the best so far.
Leave a Reply