Steelers, Mike Tomlin Have Strong Record after Mini-Bye
The Pittsburgh Steelers are looking to bounce back after a loss on Thursday Night Football to the Cleveland Browns – the fourth time they have lost in Cleveland on Thursday night. While the loss has many fans polarized on the state of the team, the good news is the Steelers typically bounced back after Thursday night games.
<p>https://twitter.com/JeremiahMiller0/status/1861897191905783836
On Wednesday, Jeremiah Miller of KDKA posted that the Steelers are an astonishing 9-1 in their last ten games after nine days of rest. That is the equivalent of the gap between Thursday night and Sunday matchups. Their only loss came at the hands of Zach Wilson and the New York Jets – the same game Kenny Pickett made his rookie debut after Mitch Trubisky was benched at halftime. When you dig deeper into the matchups, one that stands out is 2019.
The Steelers had just come off of a loss in Cleveland. Quarterback Mason Rudolph’s scuffle with Browns EDGE Myles Garrett quickly took headlines when Garrett accused Rudolph of using a racial slur. This was Garrett’s explanation for assaulting Rudolph with his helmet. The following game, the Steelers went into Cincinnati and defeated the Bengals 16-10. Rudolph was benched in that game and Duck Hodges sparked a comeback win for Pittsburgh.
Ironically, last season the Steelers won in Cincinnati after firing offensive coordinator Matt Canada follwoing a loss in Cleveland. The score of that game? 16-10. However, this game came seven days after their Sunday loss off Lake Erie,
The Steelers will have their work cut out for them. Ryan Finley and Jake Browning will not be starting at quarterback this time. Joe Burrow – who is tied for the league lead in touchdown passes at 27 – is looking to make another late-season surge for the Bengals. He has had mixed results against Pittsburgh but is 3-2 overall against them.
The Steelers’ room for error is particularly thin after this week as they will have all three divisional rematches, a trip to Philadelphia, and a Christmas Day matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs remaining. This is a game the Steelers will need to find a way to win in order to avoid a late-season letdown.
