The Steelers, over the last two weeks, have done the unthinkable after dropping three-straight, which included losses to the lowly Cardinals and Patriots. They defeated the Bengals at home and then went on the road and defeated the Seahawks, a place they last won in 1983, scoring 30 more points in each game, while ensuring head coach Mike Tomlin’s streak of non-losing seasons remains in-tact.
At 9-7, the Steelers, who looked D.O.A. after their loss at the Colts, still have a heartbeat entering Week 18, and are facing a Ravens team, who locked up the top seed in the AFC Playoffs, and could be resting players Saturday. They need a win and some help to get a wild card spot, and the likely scenario is them losing to Baltimore, or pulling out a win but still not getting the breaks required.
Regardless of what happens, Tomlin gets his 9 wins, while receiving praise from pundits who will point to how consistent he is as a head coach having never posted a losing record, something his predecessor Bill Cowher experienced three times.
Beyond this amazing stat, it provides cover for a Steelers franchise that has been mediocre for several seasons. They are not among the top teams in the AFC and have become the turd in the punch bowl that occasionally sneaks into the playoffs and gets beat easily in the wild card round.
A 10-7 finish is more of a mirage than a realistic representation of who the Steelers are. They’re a team with a quarterback problem and an offense that has an identity crisis, leaning on a defense that has bailed them out several times just to limp to that winning record.
Going 9-8, or better, 10-7, would get the heat off of Tomlin entering the offseason, but the organization as a whole needs a re-assessment.
Sean Gallagher 
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