The Pittsburgh Steelers have played one of the most brutal schedules in the NFL over the past three weeks and things definitely have not gone well during that span.
Starting in Week 15, the Steelers had to play three games in 11 days and the team responded by getting blown out in all three games. With the losses, the Steelers are now on a historic three-game losing streak that we haven’t seen in the NFL in 37 years.
The Steelers, who were 10-3 heading into Week 15, became the first NFL team since 1987 to be at least seven games over .500 and then lose three straight games by 14 points or more. It’s almost unheard of for that to happen in the NFL. Besides the Steelers, only the 1986 Jets and 1987 Chargers have experienced that type of losing streak. The Chargers streak came during a strike season where the NFL used replacement players for multiple games, so the Steelers and Jets are the only two teams to go through this type of losing streak in a non-strike NFL season.
Here’s a look at how the past three weeks have gone for the Steelers:
- Week 15: Eagles 27-13 over Steelers
- Week 16: Ravens 34-17 over Steelers
- Week 17: Chiefs 29-10 over Steelers
The Steelers had a two-game lead in the AFC North going into Week 15, but now, they’ve let the division slip through their hands. The Ravens are now in total control and they just need to beat the Browns in Week 18 to clinch the division title.
The Steelers did get hit with three games in 11 days, but so did eight other teams this season. Here’s a look at how the other teams did in that situation:
- Ravens: 3-0
- Chiefs: 3-0
- Jets: 2-1
- Cowboys: 2-1
- Texans: 1-2
- Bears: 0-2 (Chicago’s third game will come on Thursday night in Week 17 vs. Seahawks)
- Seahawks: 0-3
- Saints: 0-3
- Steelers: 0-3
Of all the teams on this list, the Ravens probably got the biggest advantage because they got a Week 14 bye before their brutal stretch started.
As for the Steelers, they’ve had a tough time after Thanksgiving over the past few years.
The best way to win the Super Bowl is to get hot down the stretch, but the Steelers have been doing the opposite of that over the past seven seasons.
In 1986, the 10-1 Jets ended the season on a five-game losing streak with all losses by 14 points or more, but they did rebound to win a wild-card playoff game before losing in the divisional round. The Steelers haven’t won a playoff game in eight years — they’re 0-4 since the start of the 2017 season — so this team would likely be thrilled to get at least a wild-card win considering the way they’re playing right now.
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