Getting To The Playoffs With 10-6 Record

So the Steelers survived but did not prosper while Ben was out

Assume it takes 10-6 to make the playoffs, which means the Steelers win 6 out of their last 9

That gets a road game in (probably) Indy or Denver to start the playoffs, but that is winnable

So where do the 6 wins come from?

Cincinnati
Oakland
Cleveland
@Seattle
Indianapolis
@ Cincinnati
Denver
@ Baltimore
@Cleveland

Wins in bold

Need to sweep the remaining 5 home games

Atlanta Dan wrote:

where do the 6 wins come from?

Cincinnati
Oakland
Cleveland
@Seattle
Indianapolis
@ Cincinnati
Denver
@ Baltimore
@Cleveland

We lose the next two then win out.

Cincinnati
Oakland
Cleveland
@Seattle
Indianapolis
@ Cincinnati
Denver
@ Baltimore
@Cleveland


is probably more likely

Either way this includes a trip to Foxboro in Jan.

Would not be surprising if they went either to Denver or to Foxboro!

We have scores to settle with each

ImperialFan wrote:

Cincinnati
Oakland
Cleveland
@Seattle
Indianapolis
@ Cincinnati
Denver
@ Baltimore
@Cleveland


is probably more likely

We're not beating the raiders, we never do

I don't think we lose to Baltimore again though. And Denver doesn't really scare me, I think we can take em at home

After a couple games, I would have thought we would make the playoffs easily this year, but with Ben missing time and especially the OL injuries......everything is in doubt.

This team is soooo close to being awesome. They have a lot of talent when the starters are on the field, but they don't have much depth, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. If this team was completely healthy and in the playoffs, I would like their chances against anybody. It just may be one of those seasons when there are just too many injuries to overcome.

Coach Tomlin has them playing hard. Coach Haley is trying his best to formulate a game plan that plays to the strengths of the QB in the game, which has been different almost every single week. That's not easy.

Let's see if Ben can come back, he stays healthy, and they get on a roll. There's not much room for error unfortunately, and we don't know how many players they will get back or what other injuries will occur.

Getting to the playoffs would be a real solid accomplishment this year.

As much as this loss bothered me after the game, upon reflection, I'm glad. Had we won I would've expected Cinci to beat us next week because of a let up by the overall team with Ben likely back. I doubt that happens now. We seem to have the Bengals number in recent years.
I realistically see 7-2 down the stretch, but could just as easily see 8-1. The road games @ seattle and Cinci maybe a bit tough. If we can sweep Bengals I think we may just win the division.
I know, I'm optimistic, but this offense can be unstoppable with Ben, the D was awful yesterday but Tuiit means more to this D than we may realize

Winning the division is still not out of the question. Yea, we're 3 games back but we can make up 2 just by beating Cinci twice.

One win at a time. We get BR7 back next week and Heinz Field is a mad house. I don't like to coin games as a "must win" this early in the season but this upcoming game is "really really REALLY need to win" for the Steelers.

pczach wrote:

After a couple games, I would have thought we would make the playoffs easily this year, but with Ben missing time and especially the OL injuries......everything is in doubt.

This team is soooo close to being awesome. They have a lot of talent when the starters are on the field, but they don't have much depth, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. If this team was completely healthy and in the playoffs, I would like their chances against anybody. It just may be one of those seasons when there are just too many injuries to overcome.

Coach Tomlin has them playing hard. Coach Haley is trying his best to formulate a game plan that plays to the strengths of the QB in the game, which has been different almost every single week. That's not easy.

Let's see if Ben can come back, he stays healthy, and they get on a roll. There's not much room for error unfortunately, and we don't know how many players they will get back or what other injuries will occur.

Getting to the playoffs would be a real solid accomplishment this year.

Well said, man. I completely agree. We have all the major pieces in place, now it's just execution and that involves staying healthy which has plagued us so far this year. There is still time to turn it around, get on track, and steamroll the rest of the year, but if anything goes wrong (upset here, injury there) we are essentially done.

If the defense keeps this shit up, we will be lucky to win 4 out of the last 9...

#stillbutthurtfromSunday'sdebacle

Hopefully this game serves a dose of humility to the defense-- just because you have been playing well does not mean a 1-5 team cannot come in and show you up.

There should be blood coming from their eyes when they lineup against Cinci next week. Anything less and we won't win. Ben can score all he wants, but we need to the D to play like they did against San Diego and Arizona.

Steelers AFC record is atrocious. Wildcard playoff berth at best... even if they beat the Bengals. Plus... the Bengals are not going to lose many games this year. Injuries and inconsistency on both sides of the ball have ruined any chance of a division title.

Personally, I see the team at 11-5

Cincinnati
Oakland
Cleveland
@Seattle
Indianapolis
@ Cincinnati
Denver
@ Baltimore
@Cleveland


Then again, I can also see them at 12-4, and sweeping the Bungals. But with Ben coming back this week there's probably going to be a systematic disconnect within the offensive performance.

I don't see 11-5 happening. Looking at the remaining schedule... 3 more losses are pretty much gauranteed. Steelers will beat the good teams and lay eggs to the Raiders and Browns. 10-6 is the ceiling for this team... 8-8 is worst case scenario.

I find the talk about winning our division a bit far-fetched considering the MASH unit we have on the sideline.

I also think this Bengals team is a bit different than the one who usually shows up in December every year.

I'd sign for a wild-card berth right now.  

The division is not out of reach. I think the Bengles are still the Bengles. they will lose at least 5 games.

The raiders are 3-3 now, so maybe we'll have a chance of beating them

Since were just spitballing. Win all home games, lose all road games. 9-7 no playoffs. 7th lombardi next season.

It goes to show what Ben actually means to this franchise.

He's the difference right now between 6-1 and 4-3 that's pretty significant. But yet he can still be the difference between 9-7 and 11-5 depending on how everything plays out.

We'll know soon especially after this 3 game home stand but my gut tells me we have rewound the clock to 2005s run.

Pittsburgh Steelers face big questions as November beckons

By Billy52 on Oct 26, 2015



Smarting from a depressing defeat in Kansas City, Steelers Nation anxiously awaits the return of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Other key questions about the team remain unanswered, but the next four games will determine whether fans’ preseason expectations will be fulfilled in 2015.

On an otherwise ideal Sunday for football in Kansas City, the Steelers' final game of October turned out to be anything but ideal. Facing what had been a 1-5 Chiefs team, whose offense was nearly as inept as the Steelers group led by Landry Jones, the Black-and-Gold squandered ample opportunities, turned over the ball three times and missed tackles or coverage assignments leading to key offensive plays by the Chiefs. Coaching decisions during the game weren't much better than the play on the field, with Mike Tomlin electing to go for two consecutive fourth-down-and-short plays when the score still was tight enough for a field goal to be significant. Later on in the fourth quarter, when the Steelers really could have used them, they once again found themselves short of timeouts.

Even though we had a few winners on the Pittsburgh side, the overall grade for players and coaches must be a solid "F." In fact, few of those watching the game could detect anything resembling a consistent offensive game plan by Todd Haley, as backup quarterback Jones struggled in vain throughout the afternoon searching for some kind of groove.

Actually, the fact that Pittsburgh returned from Kansas City with its third loss of the season isn't the most depressing aspect of what we witnessed at Arrowhead. More troubling by far was the strong impression that two key areas of the Steelers' defense appear not to be even close to the point where they'll need to be if this team is to make a credible bid for a post-season appearance. Those two areas, of course, are the defensive line and secondary.

Besides the inspiring play of safety Mike Mitchell, a guy who, with each passing week, looks like he was born to wear a Black-and-Gold uniform, the Steelers' secondary is essentially a ragtag bunch of NFL misfits. Any starting NFL quarterback worth his salt, including the remarkably underachieving Alex Smith, can rack up huge chunks of yardage through the air against this group. And in this era of pro football, when offense is king and protecting the QB is paramount, your defensive line and linebackers can't always be counted on to make life easy for the secondary. When pondering a remaining schedule that includes two games against the Bengals and two more games against the Seahawks and Broncos, it's evident that the Steelers' organization is going to need to act fairly soon to put better talent in its defensive backfield.

Likewise, the Steelers' defensive line appears to still be in a preseason mode, where some players are still jockeying for starting jobs. Will Daniel McCullers blossom into the massive, nasty and dominant nose tackle that this team has lacked ever since the departure of Big Snack? If that happens, then Pittsburgh will have the option of moving Steve McLendon to defensive end as a solid backup for Cameron Heyward and Stephon Tuitt. Despite giving mostly commendable efforts, McLendon has never been a natural for the NT position. The problem is that Steelers opponents have identified the middle of Pittsburgh's line as a definite weak spot, and various running backs have broken off big chunks of yardage right up the middle in recent weeks. Cam Thomas is strictly a backup guy used during injury periods. The Steelers need to get their defensive line personnel firmly set to avoid the platooning which has prevented this unit from developing a cohesive character.

The expected return of Big Ben to action this week against the Bengals obviously is a huge plus for the team, but it's probably wishful thinking to anticipate that the Steelers' offensive woes suddenly will vanish at the very moment when Ben steps back onto the field. The losses of Maurkice Pouncey and Kelvin Beachum have turned a very solid OL unit into one that's currently a bit suspect. This hardly can be a positive development considering that, next Sunday at Heinz Field, the same group will be protecting No. 7 and his still-tender MCL. The Bengals have considerable offensive firepower this year and it'll be no small task for Ben to keep pace with Dalton and company on the scoreboard, particularly given the aforementioned issues on the Steelers' defense.

It seems likely that the next four games coming up in November against Cincinnati, Oakland, Cleveland and Seattle will tell the tale about where the Steelers are heading this season.

to read rest of article:

http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/pittsburgh-steelers-opinions-reactions-news-updates/2015/10/26/9613764/pittsburgh-steelers-face-big-questions-as-november-beckons

HeinzMustard wrote:

Steelers AFC record is atrocious.  Wildcard playoff berth at best... even if they beat the Bengals.  Plus... the Bengals are not going to lose many games this year.  Injuries and inconsistency on both sides of the ball have ruined any chance of a division title.  

I'm not sold on this yet. I'm waiting for the implosion.