The Pittsburgh Steelers have hit an unexpected rough patch in the last few weeks. Entering their Week 13 matchup with the Arizona Cardinals, they were 7-4 and looked primed to, at the very least, earn a Wild Card spot. Only one game behind the Baltimore Ravens, they had a chance to still compete for the AFC North title.
However, in an expected turn of events, they lost that afternoon to the Cardinals. To make matters worse, starting quarterback Kenny Pickett injured his ankle and had to have a procedure on it.
The schedule-making gods however looked fondly upon the Steelers. They were to host the New England Patriots on Thursday Night Football, a get right spot for the team. Instead, they built a losing streak, inexplicably losing at Acrisure Stadium in back-to-back games against two-win teams.
NFL News & Rumors: Mike Tomlin & Pittsburgh Steelers Updates
The losing streak reached three as the Steelers were defeated by the Indianapolis Colts in Week 15, 30-13. Pittsburgh surrendered 30 consecutive points to end the game, as Mitchell Trubisky was also benched in the fourth quarter.
That has put the Steelers in a perilous position entering the final three weeks of the 2023 season. They are now 7-7 and on the outside looking in of the postseason picture. Based on projections done by Matt Bowen of ESPN, that is where they will stay.
The Steelers are projected to pick up a razor-thin victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 16, 24-23. However, that is the final game they are expected to win during the 2023 season based on projections.
In Week 17, Pittsburgh goes on the road to play the Seattle Seahawks and is projected to lose 20-10. In the season finale, their AFC North rivals, the Baltimore Ravens, do them in with a 21-9 victory at Acrisure Stadium.
NFL News & Rumors: Mike Tomlin & Pittsburgh Steelers Updates
In the process, history is broken. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has yet to have a losing season in his career. He went 16 consecutive seasons without one, but if the projections play out as ESPN has simulated them, Year 17 will be his first.
It would be a tough break for Tomlin and the Steelers, as the chances to avoid such disappointment were present. But, you are what your record says you are, and at the end of the day, this is a flawed roster that not even a coach as good as Tomlin has been able to fix on the fly.
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