Unlucky?

yes the defense is very unreliable. Tomlin could do better with time management. AB is not his usual self.

However, maybe the Steelers are better than their record. If ....... Big Ben doesn’t throw an interception at the goal line, Grimble runs into the end zone, referees don’t make three poor game changing calls, Boswell doesn’t slip on the field, then... Steelers would have won their last three games.

Although the Steelers are in a rough spot, maybe they can turn it around and play to their potential (on offense). Maybe the defense can be ‘good enough?’ I am still hoping for a late season push (as long as Big Ben is not too badly injured).

 

They have some real fkd up losses, I'll give you that. Same with the Ravens...KC made some crazy plays yesterday and they didn't go into OT vs Saints when Tucker missed the XP. Patriots lost a crazy one yesterday.

 

Bad luck can be overcome, but not with coaching ineptitude.

 

well of course it takes a little luck. When you have "bad luck" this consistently with opposing teams practically giving you the game, and you still lose... you have a problem lol.

 

If people look at what has been going on with the Steelers in the past 5 years, it has been crazy. Le'Veon Bell was not healthy to play in the playoffs in the 2014, and 2015 season. Antonio Brown did not play in the 2015 AFC Divisional Game against the Broncos. Ryan Shazier gets hurt last season. He misses the rest of last season. And he misses this season. Le'Veon Bell's holdout was one of the biggest stories in sports for months. Ben Roethlisberger was supposedly contemplating retirement after last season. The Steelers have gone through a lot with injuries and other distractions. With that being said, if the Steelers miss the playoffs, I will be pissed. They should not have been in this situation, with all the opportunities they had this season to win more games.

 

Missing the playoffs is one thing, but not firing Butler AND/OR Tomlin because of it is another.

Butler imo needs to minimum. Smith too lol

 

I don't know about luck (as in, there was nothing we could have done to prevent things from happening) - Grimble should have dodged that guy; who knows why Boswell slipped; refs didn't *have* to ignore fumbles, false starts and twitches...

But I agree that there are a number of bizarre and game-defining moments this season, and the contingency of them is lost if we resort immediately to 'it's X's fault' for everything.

We all knew before the season started we weren't going to absolutely dominate, because that's something very rare to happen in this day's NFL (unless you have a weak division, or an unexpected breakout, perhaps). So, whatever else we can pick apart about coaching, execution etc., we need those bizarre moments to go our way.

Let's hope they start to...

 

Luck wouldn't matter if this team didn't constantly undermine itself, and that comes from the head coach on down through the players.

 

Any team can say what if.
Steelers are not winning.

 

Not sure I see evidence of being unlucky. What would an unlucky team look like? Well, it might whomp on teams in wins , and eke out losses. It's point differential would be better than its record. Well, the Steelers are 9th in the league in point differential, and have the 9th best w-l record. So that doesn't seem out of line. Profootball reference Pythag formula - which estimates expected wins based on pts score and allowed - has them at 7.9 wins and 5.1 losses - pretty much where they are.

Yeah, you can argue that they should have beaten Oak, Den and SD. But they also got some luck beating Jax and Cincy amd with the tie in Cleve. Bad luck in 3 loses, Good luck in 2.5 wins. Looks pretty even to me.

 

After x amount of times, it quits becoming luck...You sooner or later have to overcome adversity....All the " bad luck " yesterday should still have been overcome with one little scenario...

No way you let a pathetic Raider offense drive the length of the field to beat you in the end...No way...That is not luck...That is will, and standing up, and making a play, FOR ONCE!

We have had some bad luck....But even more so, WAY MORE...Bad play

 

I think theyre actually worse than their record. The only quality win is against the Ravens.

 

Panthers weren't a quality win?