STEELERS/RAVENS: A Cautionary Tale
At this time last week the Steelers were rolling and coming off an impressive comeback win over Denver at home.
Their offense was lighting teams up and their media bandwagon was filled to capacity. All last week the 'experts' were suggesting the Steelers, with BIG BEN healthy again, could go all the way to the Super Bowl as a Wildcard. You couldn't turn on ESPN or the NFLN without hearing about how dangerous the Steelers are with their unstoppable trio of WR's. I thought I was in a time-warp and back in the 1970's when the Steelers were fielding an All-Pro team and beating people senseless.
AND THEN ....
It was off to play the lowly Ravens, a team with enough players on IR to field another football team, and a lot better than the actual team they were fielding on Sunday, and a team that was starting a FA QB they signed off the street only four days earlier.
There was not a chance in hell that the Steelers were going to torch their ticket to the playoffs in that game, division rival or no division rival, that game was as close to a college style (Alabama vs Rutgers) MISMATCH as gets in the NFL, it was the closest thing you can get to a MISMATCH in the NFL, and after 3+ hours of football the Steelers were on the outside looking in.
Everything they worked for, everything they played for, everything they sweat and bled for, POOF!!!!, up in smoke, and at the hands of a team they should have beaten by three touchdowns (minimum). If they played the Ravens again this week, they would probably hang 40+ Points on them, but in this league there are no mulligans, so now the Steelers are on the outside looking in, and desperately needing help from the Bills.
So how did this happen?
How did the Steelers let his happen with so much on the line?
In a word .... LETDOWN
But how could you have a letdown with your playoff lives on the line, everything you worked and bled for all year?
The short answer, that Denver game took a lot out of them emotionally. They had to play the second half of that game at a fever pitch after falling behind so early. If they were going to comeback and win that game, it was going to take a maniacal effort, and when it was over, they were emotionally spent ... and one week was not enough time to recharge their batteries and get the same type of effort verses a team they were so much better than on paper, starting a QB they just picked up off the street.
OUR SITUATION this week is not exactly the same, but close enough that it scares me to death.
Make no mistake about it, that Patriots game was about as emotionally draining as it gets, verses our hated division rivals, a team that has owned our division for over a decade and has been the source of enormous pain and angst for this franchise.
I am scared to death that we will not be able to bring the same level of intensity to Buffalo that we had for NE, and IMO thats what its gonna take to win this game, otherwise we are walking into an ambush. Say what you will about Rex, for sure he has his short-comings and I'm thrilled with Todd Bowles, no way I'm trading coaches with Buffalo, BUT KNOW THIS, Rex can get his teams up for the games that really matter to him, the problem is he can't get his teams to sustain it, but that doesn't help us on Sunday, for THIS ONE he will have his team ready to play.
I'm not saying we can't beat them.
I'm not saying we can't win regardless of how badly they want to beat us.
All I'm saying is, DON'T KID YOURSELF, we are walking into an ambush verses a team thats A LOT BETTER than the Ravens. Rex does not want this team clinching a playoff berth on his home field at his new teams expense, and he'll make sure all of his players feel likewise by the time we kickoff on Sunday, so unless we bring the same level of intensity to this game that we had for the Patriots, unless we can sustain that emotional high and not suffer a natural emotional letdown, we are gonna get knocked off in Buffalo and Rex is going to rub our noses in it too.
In closing, I know Todd Bowles doesn't like his teams to get too high or too low, he likes to sustain an even keel, but IMO he needs to throw that playbook in the trash this week and do whatever he must do to get this teams attention and get them peaking emotionally for the Bills on Sunday. He must understand the real danger of an emotional letdown coming off that momentous win over the hated Patriots. ITS HUMAN NATURE, ask the Steelers, and Bowles must do something to combat it.
