Good morning,
Let’s get optimistic on this Nov. 14 as the Steelers prepare for their home game against the 6-3 Detroit Lions Sunday. The impetus is the NFL itself. They’ve provided the Steelers and their fans with some hope, and that’s what they call it, “Hope is Alive.”
The league sent out a list of teams that have had losing records after nine games and made the playoffs, including teams with the identical record of the Steelers’ 3-6. You don’t have to go back far at all to find one either. Last season, the Washington Redskins were 3-6. They won their next seven to finish 10-6 and earn a wildcard playoff berth.
That’s the good news. The other is that Washington was the first 3-6 team to rebound and make the playoffs in 16 years. Jacksonville previously did it in 1996 when the Jaguars earned a wildcard playoff berth at 9-7 (behind the AFC Central Division winning Steelers) and went all the way to the AFC championship game.
Jacksonville was the third 3-6 team to go on to make the playoffs in three years back then. New England did it in 1994 and Detroit in 1995, both as wildcard playoff teams.
That’s the entire list the NFL came up with since 1990. There have been 18 teams with losing records after nine games to make the playoffs in those 23 seasons, 14 of them with 4-5 records. We told you the last time a team that, like the Steelers this season, had a 2-6 record and made the playoffs, the 1970 Cincinnati Bengals. They won their final six games to go 8-6 and win the AFC Central Division.
--- Onto some stuff:
--- The Steelers would appear to have gotten the better deal when they decided to pass on Mike Wallace and pay Antonio Brown $43 million over six years. Wallace went on to sign a five-year, $60 million contract with the Miami Dolphins.
Brown leads the NFL with 67 receptions, which has produced 805 yards and three touchdowns. Wallace has 40 catches for 495 yards and one touchdown. Emmanuel Sanders has one more catch than Wallace, 471 yards and one touchdown.
--- Adrian Peterson has nine rushing touchdowns. With one more he will have his 7th season rushing for 10 touchdowns or more, only the third player to do that. The Steelers have four rushing touchdowns. Total. All by rookie Le’Veon Bell.
--- The Steelers report their series record against the Detroit Lions as dead even, 16-16-1, since they first played in 1934. The NFL lists it as 15-14-1, Steelers. Why? Because it looks as though the NFL does not include the records of those two Steelers teams in 1943, when they combined with the Philadelphia Eagles to form the “Steagles,” and in 1944 when they combined with the Chicago Cardinals to form the “Card-Pitts.” The Steagles beat the Lions in 1943. The Card-Pitts lost twice to the Lions in 1944.
--- Suh not happy with Ben Roethlisberger’s “killer” comment:
--- One question today (you can send them to me at ebouchette@post-gazette.com)
--- YOU: Hello, Mr. Bouchette! Hypothetical question for you. Chris Gragg was pretty clearly offsides on the Bills' TD on Sunday. What if that play had tied the score or worse put the Bills ahead? Did the Steelers have any recourse on a penalty that was not (but should have been) called?
ME: If that touchdown meant anything, I think the officials would have called the penalty. Ryan Clark said one official told him it didn’t mean anything and they did not want to continue to delay the game, which is why they did not call it. Yikes!
First Published: April 6, 2016, 4:13 p.m.