PITTSBURGH — The Steelers started 0-3 after losing Sunday’s Week 3 loss at San Francisco, but the team isn’t panicking or hanging their heads after the disappointing start.
But they also realize that their margin of error for making the 2019 NFL playoffs have been whittled down to practically nothing.
“It’s a bad feeling, being 0-3,” running back Jaylen Samuels said on Tuesday. “It sucks.”
Monday night, when the Steelers host the Cincinnati Bengals — who are also 0-3 — the loser will be facing the steepest possible climb out of the AFC North basement.
The only good news? No one has really stepped up to the top of the list in the division.
The Baltimore Ravens are 2-1 after beating Arizona and Miami, but they lost to Kansas City last Sunday. Cleveland lost to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night to fall to 1-2
That means it isn’t time to panic, according to defensive end Stephon Tuitt.
“No rah rah yet,” Tuitt said. “We don’t need none of that. At the end of the day, we just put on our pads and just keep going out on the football field and getting better.”
It does mean that the time to snap the team’s winless streak is right now, according to team captain and defensive end Cameron Heyward.
“We just got to get this damn W,” Heyward said. “That’s all it comes down to.”
“With that said, it just doesn’t magically happen. Our execution has to be flawless from here on out. Our room for error is out the window. We have to perfect in everything we do, especially in practice. It’s my job to keep my guys accountable. … Both teams are 0-3, but one team is going to be 1-3 after this game.”