The choice is a simple one.

There are many reasons why the NFL plays game weekly. Obviously, the need for players to physically recover from such intense clashes is necessary and humane. The travel and logistics related to planning and movement of a large group of people and their equipment is also tough to accomplish on short notice. Nevertheless, I would argue that the weekly schedule has a huge impact on us, the fans. I believe that having a week after each game is vitally important to the mental well being of those of us that live and breathe this stuff. The NFL has grown to a behemoth of marketing, entertainment, and social discourse. This, coupled with the ferocity of fandom, betting markets, and content creation has made each game a monumental moment. Each game creates history, storylines, fodder for analysts, and of course, extreme emotion in us the fans. We are not built to handle that emotion without a week of rest.

The Pittsburgh Steelers had a tough 11 day stretch. The Steelers lost to the Eagles (12-2 AFC East Champions), the Ravens (11-5, AFC North Leaders), and the Chiefs (15-1, NFL best) over the course of 11 days. Two of these three games were on the road, in tough venues that do not have histories of allowing terrible towels to fly freely. The third was at home after 4 days rest. The current atmosphere in both the national landscape and in Steeler Nation is that of doom, despair, and pessimism. The objective fact that the Steelers still can win the AFC North (although unlikely) or at least secure the # 5 seed which grants them a playoff matchup with the Houston Texans (9-7, losers of 3 of their last 5 and their last 2) is not something anyone wants to hear right now. But it is truth. It is fact. The season is not over. The playoffs are not here yet. This team’s story is not written. If it were possible to ask any fan, Steelers or otherwise, if you could pick your first round opponent in the AFC playoffs, how many of them would pick the Texans? I would wager a bet it would be a lot of those fans.

The sense of doom and gloom is greatly tied up in the timing of how it happened. A loss in the NFL for a fan is tough. It makes Monday’s suck. It makes Tuesday’s stink. It is usually starting to be in the rearview mirror by Wednesday. It is gone by Thursday and that said fan is hopeful for Sunday’s game. This 11 day stretch did not allow for us fans to accept each loss with the appropriate amount of weight. It snowballed and seems bigger than three losses to three good teams and with significant injuries in each of those games. I did not watch the Christmas Day game live. I chose to spend the day playing with my two young daughters and their new toys. I saw the score later in the day and was slightly shocked and dismayed; however, once I watched the game replay I realized it was not as bad as the score led on. The further I dove into the game and the statistics, the less hopeless I felt. The Pittsburgh Steelers were trailing 16-7 in the late third quarter and driving the ball. The Steelers had more first downs, were more efficient on third downs, had fewer penalties, nearly outgained the Chiefs, and were within striking distance just prior to the fourth quarter. This is not a team spiraling towards Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears territory. This is a team that wore down after playing 4 consecutive AFC North games followed by three of the NFLs best in 11 days with two of them on the road. The Steelers were not coming off a bye, get to play the Giants and struggling Texans in that 11 day span (Baltimore’s lot). Nor did they get to play the Browns (3-13) and Houston at home (the Chiefs lot). Timing and opponents can mean a lot when writing a narrative of the 11 day stretch. However, this is hard to do when the recency bias is overwhelming the fan base.

The Steelers are not hoping for help in week 18. They are not the Broncos, Dolphins, or Bengals. They are not the Chargers who know they have to play all three games on the road. They are in the playoffs. They have a chance to win Saturday night (8pm) and have one of two things become reality: 1. A win coupled with a Baltimore loss makes them the AFC North Champions or 2. A win coupled with a Baltimore win secures the # 5 seed and sends them to a very winnable game in Houston. I encourage everyone to dig deep. Remember why you are a fan. The choice is a simple one: give up with a lot left to play for or be optimistic and cheer for your team to win at least these next two games.