It all comes down to this. After starting the season 1-4, the Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves at 8-7, scratching and clawing for a spot in the NFL playoffs. But to do it they need to find a way to get past their most-hated rival, the Baltimore Ravens. This entire season has been a roller coaster so it’s only fitting it ends with everything on the line.
Here are our four big worries this week.
The quarterback position
Too obvious? The Steelers will go back (and forth) to Devlin Hodges again this week after benching him last week against the New York Jets. Hodges was forced to return from his benching when Mason Rudolph was injured and is going to be the man to try to lead this team into the playoffs.
Getting lax with Ravens backups
The Ravens have already announced they play to rest several starters including quarterback Lamar Jackson. This should make life easier on the Steelers but they cannot take this one for granted. We’ve seen the Steelers win with subpar quarterback play most of the season. The Ravens could do the same if Pittsburgh isn’t paying attention.
The Texans might let the Steelers down
As of now, the Houston Texans are planning to play their starters and go for the win over the Tennessee Titans. This is great news for the Steelers playoff chances. But this could change if Houston sees the Chiefs win in the early game and don’t have anything to gain.
Too much to think about
This season has been so taxing for this team emotionally and physically. You can tell by the comments after last week’s loss there is frustration building. The defense is playing well but with an offense as bad as this one there is no margin for error. Can the defense pull it together after two less-than elite performances and play perfectly?
