The difference between pessimism and concern
On one hand it is a good feeling to be playing in the playoffs. On the other, it does not feel good that the Steelers have lost the final four games of the regular season. Nevertheless, if at the beginning of the season someone asked me if I would take this offer: your Steelers will be in the playoffs but will have lost the final four games. I would have taken it in a heartbeat. If someone else wound have offered me the Bengals scenario where: your Bengals win their final five games but miss the playoffs. I would have without hesitation not taken that offer. The Steelers earned their playoff berth over the first fourteen weeks. That team has since struggled with a condensed schedule against really good opponents; but that does not take away what this team did over those first 13 games. That team is not gone. That team is not missing playmakers and personnel that contributed to the 10-3 record. Do I think that team can come back? Yes. I have thought that over the last several weeks and my mindset has not changed. The players are still there. Their capabilities are still there. The knowledge of how to win is still there. The uncharacteristic plays just need to stop.
It would be easy to once again fall into the recency bias and be pessimistic about the Wild Card game this Saturday in Baltimore. Yes, the Ravens are playing well and the Steelers are playing bad. You know what does not matter when the kickoff happens Saturday? How well the teams have been playing up to that point. What matters is who plays better in that game on that field Saturday night. Is there a reality in which Najee Harris does not fumble, Pat Frieremuth does not fumble or drop routine passes, George Pickens doesn’t have numerous routine drops, or the balls that are on the ground always fall into the opponents hands? These are the uncharacteristic and flukey things that have occured in stadium over the last four games. In the early part of the season, where the Steelers earned their playoff spot, those playmakers made the plays. They did not make the mistakes. They retrieved the balls on the ground. They made the plays at the ends of the game. Over the last four weeks the opposite has happened and it seems odd. I still hold on hope that these are indeed flukes and if the Steelers turn them around Saturday they will move on to the Divisional Round Playoffs. Am I concerned about the recent play? Yes. Am I pessimistic about the upcoming game, no. Am I angry and disappointed about the loss to the Bengals? Yes. Am I surprised by the result after watching the tape? No. For the Steelers to win in the NFL, they need to have their stars make the plays. They need to force the turnovers and not commit them. They need to make the plays they haven’t been making, but are perfectly capable of making.
It does feel like a big hill to climb right now; however, I think Baltimore is also not in love with drawing the Steelers in round 1. The Steelers have beat this team once earlier in the season. Why can’t they do it again?