Feeling '89 going into 2022 final week!

The Steelers, going into this final week, are being reminiscent of their '89 installment! Two teams - Dolphins & Patriots - have to lose or tie while the Steelers, of course, have to win at home vs Cleveland. Not at all an easy task being that a scrappy, respectable team like the Browns who, mind you, just knocked off the Commanders on the road can easily play spoiler again and do so against their very rival.

Of course that very campaign a third-of-a-century ago, the 'Burgh had to win with three teams needing to lose which, of course, ended up miraculously all falling into place! However, back to 2022, there's even more to it than a simple two teams having to lose or tie. It realistically is actually four other games having to go a certain way! And it all starts tonight on MNF in Cincy! Both the Bills tonight and KC on Saturday have to win their games vs the Bengals and Raiders respectively. If only one of the two wins, then Buffalo will not have the need to play their starters against the Pats who would need to win in order to get in! Yes, these current Bills have been noticeably better than these post-Brady Pats, but would you actually bet on them in this situation - and vs a Belichick team, mind you? Had this Chiefs@Vegas match-up been kept in that late-Sunday lineup as originally scheduled (following Pats@Rich at 1PM EST), then no bother even writing these last few sentences. This makes the final-week miracle of '89 being mimicked an even steeper possibility! Considering that the Chiefs extremely likely will best the Raiders, the Bills all-but have to win tonight in the eyes of Steeler-fans!

Playoffs-or-not, though, Steelers rallying to a winning record in 'Year One' after Big Ben (Pickett not coming on until just now along with TJ Watt being out for a bit) would have to make 2022 Mike Tomlin's best coaching performance with Pittsburgh just as very many say that 1989 was Chuck Noll's best (the only year he ever won 'Coach of the Year'). No, this '22 team didn't lose their first two games by a combined 92-10, but '89 was at least 4-4 after eight games whereas this year's very installment, now 2-6, were left-for-dead after getting drubbed at the Linc in front of my naked eyes up in section 239!

Both were big comebacks just the same! Either '22 will turn out just like '89 with a playoff-berth, or it'll be close-but-no-cigar like the final weeks of 2000 & 2009! You can also add 2013, but getting in at 8-8 would have been nothing for me to get too excited over. In either event, if '22 makes it then it'll have to go down as even-more miraculous than '89!

But, even so, it'll always be tough to top the sheer nostalgia of that "last hurrah" of the Emperor! Seeing Jerry Burns get that Gatorade Bath, then go via-satellite to Dwayne Woodruff's place asking him about their, now, upcoming playoff match at Glanville's Oilers (Steelers are in the PLAYOFFS)...simply the best sports-related Christmas Gift EVER!

Go Bills!
Go Chiefs!
Go Jets!
Go Pats (did I just say that)!

and

GO STEELERS!!

Wear that #87 Weegie Thompson jersey and wear it WELL this coming Sunday, and let the Ghosts of '89 do their best!