The rational fan, given the choice, might rather have the Steelers finish 5-12 and secure a high draft pick than hover around .500 and fight for the seventh playoff spot.
But is that really who you want to be — the rational fan?
I'm guessing it's way more fun to be emotionally wrecked after your team nearly blows big leads to Teddy Bridgewater and Geno Smith and somehow stays in the playoff hunt.
I'm guessing, if you're living in the moment, you're pretty pumped about the Cleveland game after the bye week.
It'll be easy, if this thing falls apart, to say, "Well, that was best. Now we get a high pick, just like when we got Ben after going 6-10." But who with a beating heart is saying that in real time?
I'm thinking it's a positive development that the Steelers have won two in a row and are actually in playoff position six games into the season. That doesn't mean they're great. Or even good. Or even mediocre. I don't know.
It just means a lot of people had them buried at 1-3, with a quarterback who looked 39 going on 80 and a playbook that had shrunk to the size of a Post-It note, and now they're not buried anymore, and that's a good thing.
Right?
Besides, I could make a pretty good case they'd be 4-2 or maybe 5-1 with a healthy T.J. Watt. He's that destructive. He was on his way to single-handedly ruining the Raiders when he got hurt.
In other words, you better get used to this. If Mike Tomlin can't post a losing record with Duck Hodges and Mason Rudolph, he might never pull it off. For better or worse, it appears the Steelers are going to hang around and make things interesting in the wild card hunt and maybe even the AFC North.
Two weeks from now, they could be a game out of first place, alone in last, or anywhere in between. That's just the way it works. Other teams have problems, too, you know.
Have you watched the Browns lately?
How about the Kansas City Chiefs?
And what if the Steelers keep improving? It's reasonable to believe the offensive line will. What if Stephon Tuitt returns to bolster the defensive line?
I've heard people say the conference stinks, but in terms of what it might take for the seventh-place team to get in, it's not much different than other years. You're going to hit mediocrity if you dig seven spots down. Had there been a third wild card for the 10 years previous to 2020 (when the field was expanded), a 9-7 or 8-8 team often would have secured it.
Twice, the Steelers would have qualified at 8-8.
Meanwhile, if you think the division is out of reach, you're nuts. AFC North battles have barely begun. The Steelers still have five more.
Let's take a closer look at the competition ...
Ravens: 5-1
The case: Turned in a commanding performance against the Chargers. Lamar Jackson has gone full LeBron James, and after a huge game against the Bengals, the Ravens will hit a soft spot in the schedule.
The questions: It took a miracle play and a blown call to beat the Lions and a miracle comeback to beat the Colts. Are the Ravens fooling people? Are they similar to those 11-0 Steelers of last season? Their performance Sunday seemed to indicate otherwise, but they haven't played a division game yet.
Bengals: 4-2
The case: They have a real quarterback, finally, and an explosive offense. They're finding ways to win, which is the opposite of what usually happens, and their defense has improved.
The questions: The combined record of the teams they've beaten is 7-17. Barely survived Jacksonville. Beat a Steelers team that didn't have Watt — and won't the rematch be interesting, after receiver Tyler Boyd accused the Steelers of quitting?
Browns: 3-3
The case: Still maybe the most talented team in the division. Were a few plays from starting 5-0.
The questions: Where would you like to begin? They gave up a combined 117 points in losses to the Chiefs, Chargers and Cardinals. Their offense has been ravaged with injuries, the latest being a left shoulder injury to Baker Mayfield. Their defense is a disorganized mess.
The Browns now have to play on a short week, when Denver visits Thursday. Their final stretch, beginning around Thanksgiving, looks brutal: back-to-back games against the Ravens, followed by a visit from the Raiders, trips to Green Bay and Pittsburgh and a season-ending visit from the Bengals.
It's a battle for survival now, for the Browns and a whole bunch of other teams — including this one.
That's a good thing ... right?
