The Pittsburgh Steelers hope to add another 2,390 seats to Heinz Field before next season. The proposed expansion will add 1,553 general admission seats, 837 premium seats and five suites. The total number of new seats to be added will actually be 2,700, but 310 existing seats will be removed during the project.

A new plaza level will be added just below the Heinz Field scoreboard as part of the project, with new restrooms and concessions as well. The original proposal called for the addition of 3,000 new seats, but for unknown reasons, today’s briefing with the planning commission only called for 2,390.

The team hopes to receive approval within the next two weeks so that construction can begin as soon as the season ends in January. The current seating capacity is 65,050.

It’s still not time to panic. And, still, the sky isn’t falling yet. The Steelers will grab a playoff spot and even the AFC north Division title if they are able to handle their own business (well, let me second-guess myself: that may be enough reason to panic).

In a competitive AFC, 12 teams are still alive in the playoff hunt. Of them, 5 lost (Patriots, Ravens, Browns, Chiefs and Steelers lost) and 7 won their games (Broncos, Bengals, Colts, Chargers, Dolphins, Bills and Texans).

With the Browns and Ravens losing this week, it was an excellent opportunity for the Steelers to gain some ground in the AFC north & Wild Card battles, but the Steelers weren’t able to handle their own business.

Even without doing something positive, the Steelers still control their own destiny: win out and be AFC north Champions, hosting a playoff game. Thanks to the Chargers (if the Ravens had won, the Steelers wouldn’t be in the driver’s seat for the AFC North crown).

 How do the outcomes of this week’s games affect the Playoff picture?

•  New England loss, good news for the Steelers. This means the Broncos are still playing for the #1 seed (if the Patriots lose one more than them). If both keep fighting for the #1 seed, it means they’ll try to win every football game without benching or resting their starters. On their schedules there are still games against contenders: Patriots still have to face the Chargers, Dolphins and Bills, while Denver plays the Bills, Chargers and Bengals. And that could play in favor of the Steelers.
•  The Chargers win over the Ravens means the Steelers control their way into the AFC north crown. Had the Ravens won the game, the Steelers would have had to win one more game than the Ravens the rest of the way.
•  The Kansas City loss puts the Steelers in position to win an eventual head to head tiebreaker with them, in case the Steelers are able to beat them at Heinz Field, 3 weeks from now.

 Once again, it’s still too early to elaborate into different scenarios; with 4 weeks still to go, there are still many remaining games between AFC contenders.  Current Seeding:

[table]

Division Leaders, W,L,T,Div,Conf

Patriots,9,3,0,2-1,6-2

Broncos,9,3,0,4-0,7-1

Bengals,8,3,1,2-1,5-3

Colts,8,4,0,4-0,6-3

[/table]

 

[table]

Wild Card, W,L,T,Div,Conf

Chargers,8,4,0,2-2,6-3

Dolphins,7,5,0,3-1,6-3

[/table]

 

[table]

In The Hunt, W,L,T,Div,Conf

Chiefs,7,5,0,1-3,5-4

Bills,7,5,0,3-2,4-5

Ravens,7,5,1,2-3,3-5

Steelers,7,5,0,2-2,6-3

Browns,7,5,0,2-2,4-5

Texans,6,6,0,2-1,5-3

[/table]

12 AFC teams remain in contention, with 11 of them holding winning records. A 6 way tie among 7-5 teams currently gives the Dolphins the edge on tiebreaking procedures, but don’t pay too much attention to it right now: there are still a lot of factors involved in determining seeding in case of a multiple way tie at the end of the season for a Wild Card berth.

• Each AFC contender still has, at least, two more games against other AFC contenders.
• A total of 16 games among these teams are still to be played, and that will alter the W-L totals, Division and Conference records in an unpredictable way.
•  And, 12 games into the season, every team in contention with a 7-5 or better record still controls its own destiny through, at least, a Wild Card berth. That’s 11 teams approaching their final stretch with the same mentality. After week 14, this magic number could come down to 7 teams controlling their own destiny, and the rest hoping for other results.

Week 14 features 5 games between 10 of the AFC contenders, which means that most probably (ties kept aside) 5 contenders will add a L to their record. Games between two AFC contenders: Steelers at Bengals, Ravens at Dolphins, Colts at Browns, Bills at Broncos, Patriots at Chargers. Meanwhile, the Chiefs visit Arizona while the Texans visit the Jaguars.

Other remaining games between contenders, weeks 15-17:

• Week 15: Dolphins at Patriots, Texans at Colts, Bengals at Browns, Broncos at Chargers
• Week 16: Chiefs at Steelers, Ravens at Texans, Broncos at Bengals
• Week 17: Bengals at Steelers, Browns at Ravens, Chargers at Chiefs, Bills at Patriots

*A full breakdown can be found at the end of this article.

Let’s take another look at each contender’s scenarios:

Patriots (9-3) Remaining schedule: at Chargers (8-4), vs. Dolphins (7-5), at Jets (2-10), vs. Bills (7-5). The Patriots still have the the upper hand in the AFC, but have wasted their margin of error within the Conference. While they still hold the #1 seed, they can’t lose more games than the Broncos, or they’ll end up being #2.

• They can help the Steelers: Patriots still have to face desperate teams looking for a playoff berth in their games against Chargers, Dolphins and Bills, which could pay off for the Steelers chances (assuming the Patriots don’t suffer a huge letdown).

Broncos (9-3) Remaining schedule: vs. Bills (7-5), at Chargers (8-4), at Bengals (8-3-1), vs. Raiders (1-11). They now have a legitimate shot at the #1 seed. For that to happen, they need to win one more game than the Patriots. Most importantly: they are just 1 game ahead of the Chargers, who they face on Week 15. The outcome of the Broncos remaining games will completely alter the playoff picture, particularly their next 3 games against AFC contenders.

• They can help the Steelers by: Beating the Bills and Chargers, in order to drop their records in Wild Card contention, and beating the Bengals, while thinking about the Division Title.

Colts (8-4) Remaining schedule: at Browns (7-5), vs. Texans (6-6), at Cowboys (8-3), at Titans (2-10). They are two games ahead of the Texans for the division title, and two games behind both Patriots and Broncos (while mathematically they are just 1 game behind, they lost to both of them, which means that if they end the season with the same overall record, they’ll lose on tiebreakers due to face-to-face matchups.

They can’t afford to lose to the Browns, because that could potentially mean risking their shot at the Division against the Texans two weeks from now, while still having to play a game against a desperate Cowboys team. So, their next two games appear to be critical, which also benefits the Steelers.

• They can help the Steelers by: Beating the Browns and Texans, who are still in contention for a Wild Card berth.

Bengals (8-3-1) Remaining schedule: vs. Steelers (7-5), at Browns (7-5), vs. Broncos (9-3), at Steelers (7-5). Somehow this team won their last 3 games on the road (Saints, Texans and Bucs) and remains in control of their destiny, if they are able to win out. A huge task considering all of their remaining games are against winning teams who are playing either for their lives (Steelers and Browns), or for a better seeding (Broncos).

Chargers (8-4) Remaining schedule: vs. Patriots (9-3), vs. Broncos (9-3), at 49ers (7-5), at Chiefs (7-5). After a big win at Baltimore, they receive the Patriots and Broncos on consecutive weeks. Hard to imagine they can beat them both on consecutive weeks. If so, they will be in contention for the AFC West Division title their last two weeks. Otherwise, they will get into the mix for a Wild card, which could mean they must beat the 49ers and Chiefs.

Dolphins (7-5) Remaining schedule: vs. Ravens (7-5), at Patriots (9-3), vs. Vikings (5-7), vs. Jets (2-10). Escaped a trap game against the Jets (ask the Steelers), and their next two weeks are critical: games against the Ravens and traveling to New England build up a brutal combo for this team. If they are able to win one of their next two, they could be able to control their destiny to an AFC wild card berth entering week 16.

Chiefs (7-5) Remaining schedule: at Cardinals (9-3), vs. Raiders (1-11), at Steelers (7-5), vs. Chargers (8-4). Two weeks ago, their schedule looked brutal. After losing to the Broncos, their game against the Cardinals seems a lot more manageable than it looked a couple of weeks ago. Still, they have to face the Steelers and Chargers to end the season.

Bills (7-5) Remaining schedule: at Broncos (9-3), vs. Packers (9-3), at Raiders (1-11), at Patriots (9-3). With a win over the Browns, the Bills took a huge step to get into the Playoff conversation again. Their remaining schedule is brutal (Raiders aside). They could easily be either out of contention two weeks from now (if they lose both), or getting pretty hot into a final two week stretch that features a tune-up game against the Raiders just before heading to Foxboro to face their division rivals.

Ravens (7-5) Remaining schedule: at Dolphins (7-5), vs. Jaguars (2-10), at Texans (6-6), vs. Browns (7-5). The Ravens still control their destiny to a Wild Card Berth, but need the Bengals to lose two games and the Steelers to lose one more to be within striking distance to grab the AFC north title. On paper, it seems as if they have only one remaining tough game (this week, against the Dolphins), but could be playing both, Texans and Browns, playing for their lives. Don’t look now, but if somehow the Ravens and Dolphins end up with a tie, both teams could benefit from it in the long run. This could pretty much be their season defining game.

Steelers (7-5) Remaining schedule: at Bengals (8-3-1), at Falcons (5-7), vs. Chiefs (7-5), vs. Bengals (8-3-1). The Steelers are still in control of their own destiny, while winning out will give them the AFC North title. After losing to the Saints, their margin of error became slimmer: losing against the Bengals would put them 3 games behind with 3 to go, which could mean that the Steelers will only be playing for a Wild Card Berth.

• Games against the Falcons (who are playing for a division title, too) and Chiefs (who could, by then, be just one loss away of being eliminated) will not be easy, and if the Steelers want to remain in contention, they need to go on a run.
• Still, 3 more wins could mean a playoff berth for this team at 10-6, but two more loses could mark another playoff-less season for the Steelers, even at 9-7.
• If they are going to lose another game, better make it happen against the Falcons, so their conference record ends 9-3, and that would lead them to win most tiebreaking scenarios against the rest of the AFC contenders.

Browns (7-5) Remaining schedule:  vs. Colts (8-4), vs. Bengals (8-3-1), at Panthers (3-8-1), at Ravens (7-5). Changing Quarterback for the 20^th time in franchise history (just counting since their return to the NFL in 1999) is a risky bet for them. Playing against 3 teams in contention will not make it an easier task for the Browns. Their next two games are vital for them, and they need to win at least one of them to remain in contention.

Texans (6-6) Remaining schedule: at Jaguars (2-10), at Colts (8-4), vs. Ravens (7-5), vs. Jaguars (2-10). The Texans still can fight for a division title, if the Colts drop another game and the Texans are able to beat them on week 15.

They can help the Steelers chances by beating the Ravens. The ideal scenario would be the Texans getting into that game at 8-6, still alive for a Wild Card game and playing for their lives.

So, who gets in?

With 16 games remaining that involve a total of 12 AFC contenders, its pretty difficult to analyze and predict the possible outcome of each scenario. Most probably, AFC Wild Cards will get in at 10-6, with a strong possibility of a multiple team tie.

For the Steelers, the best case scenario is taking care of their own business and win out. If that doesn’t happen, the Steelers must beat the Bengals at home on season finale, and KC one week before. Record within the division and conference are tiebreaking criteria (which can be found here)

To ease things for the Steelers, Broncos and Patriots must keep fighting for the #1 seed until week 17, while they still face 3 AFC contenders each.

After week 14, both the AFC North and Wild Card competition could become a little bit less complicated.

——————————————————————————–

The rest of the Schedule, week by week, for AFC Contenders after week 14:

Week 15 has 4 games between AFC contenders: Dolphins at Patriots, Texans at Colts, Bengals at Browns, Broncos at Chargers

And 4 teams play against non-AFC contenders: Steelers at Falcons, Raiders at Chiefs, Jaguars at Ravens, Packers at Bills

Week 16 features just 3 games between AFC contenders: Chiefs at Steelers, Ravens at Texans, Broncos at Bengals

And 6 teams play against non-AFC contenders: Chargers at 49ers, Vikings at Dolphins, Browns at Panthers, Patriots at Jets, Bills at Raiders, Colts at Cowboys

Week 17 features 4 games between AFC contenders: Bengals at Steelers, Browns at Ravens, Chargers at Chiefs, Bills at Patriots

And 4 teams play against non-AFC contenders: Colts at Titans, Jaguars at Texans, Jets at Dolphins, Raiders at Broncos

A predictable outcome, in what somehow has become an unpleasant habit: the Steelers have lost another football game to a team with a losing record. If you’re counting them, that’s 7 times it has happened since 2013.

Not everything is lost, and there’s some good news: The Ravens and Browns lost, which keeps the division within reach, KC lost too, meaning the Steelers can still win a tiebreaker over them for a Wild Card spot if they manage to beat them on week 16, and after all, the Steelers still hold the driver’s seat for the Division crown: just win out.

Looking for even better news? Of the remaining opponents, only one of them falls into the Steelers fearsome, risky game category: Atlanta is the only one who has a losing record. I’ll break down the Playoff picture later this week, after the Monday night game (which involves one contender –the Miami Dolphins).

Back to the Steelers game, don’t get fooled by the final score: it wasn’t as close as it seems.

Turning points:

This game had several opportunities for the Steelers, either to go up or close the gap. Unfortunately, all of them bounced the wrong way. Here are some of the most notable turning points:

First 20 minutes of the game: The Steelers defense stopped the first three NOs drives, forcing punts, while the Offense was able to move the football. After 20 minutes, the Steelers offense was able to get inside NOs territory 3 times, but settling for two FGs. When you face a high scoring offense, your team has to take advantage of defensive stops. Getting just a 6-0 lead, after stopping them 3 times while being able to move the football into their territory is not what you should be looking for.

2^nd quarter, Down 7-6: Wheaton returns the kickoff to the Steelers’ 41 yardline (the longest Steelers return of the season). Two plays after that, the Steelers reached NO’s 42 yardline. On 1^st and 10, Ben throws a deep pass to where Heyward-Bey was supposed to be, only to be intercepted in the end zone. The Saints will go on to move the football 80 yards to put the score 14-6.

2 minute drill, end of the first half: Last series of the first half, the Steelers got the football with 36 seconds, at their 20 yardline, with all 3 timouts left. A couple of completions (to Miller and Brown) got the Steelers to the NOs 36 yardline, with 18 seconds and 2 timeouts left. You have 2 options here: try to score 7, or get closer to make an easier FG try. Instead, 3 incompletions later, the Steelers attempted a 54 yarder by Suisham, who missed (fell short). It was a yard longer than his carreer-long. Blame the Stadium, the wind or whatever reason you want, but if you know you don’t have a power kicker and are trying to close the gap, you need to get the ball closer to the endzone. Gaining 5 more yards would have helped, instead of trying to complete passes for more than 10 yards, which the Steelers offense tried to do. The score remained 14-6, and NO would receive the 2^nd half kickoff.

Start of the 2^nd half, down 14-6: The Steelers defense held NO to an early 3 & out and got the football back. 3 plays later, Cameron Jordan, who abused Adams frequently, batted and intercepted a Roethlisberger pass, which led to a NO quick TD to put the game 21-6.

While it was still a game, 3^rd Quarter, 21-13 (a one score game), Ike Taylor showed what many thought before the game: he would get targeted by double moves or deep throws. This one was huge, while Taylor tried to be physicial on Stills and push him out of bounds while looking at the QB instead of his receiver, he missed, tripped and was torched for a 69 yard TD.

4^th Qtr with 11 minutes to play, down 28-16: NO has the ball at the Steelers 43, 3^rd and 3, Vince Williams sacks Drew Brees for a 10 yard loss. That stop would give the Steelers a chance, on a 2 score game, to get back into it, but that huge play by Williams was negated by a holding penalty by Blake, who 4 plays later allowed Colston to score a TD that put the game away at 35-16, with 10:25 on the clock.

Coach Tomlin blamed lack of cohesion on Offense and Defense during his post-game conference (and was visibly annoyed at some questions, particularly when he was asked about his record against losing teams the past couple seasons).

Methinks otherwise:

The Saints understood the game earlier than the Steelers did: The first three NO drives were stopped, and after that they changed their strategy to a run-first offense, bringing the Steelers safeties close to the box. Even with that, the Steelers Defense wasn’t able to stop the run, and opened up their passing game too. The Steelers, on the other hand, were moving the football by both running and passing during their first 3 series, but were out of sync (overthrows, drops).

After they fell behind 14-6, the Steelers still took a pass-first approach on most of their remaining drives. Even while playing from behind, there was still a lot of time left when the Steelers decided to abandon the run. That allowed New Orleans to keep their safeties deep (and that’s why you didn’t see more of M Bryant), taking away the big play, while opening the middle, which was frequently targeted, and frequently missed by Roethlisberger.

Offense: Are these the same guys who were torching defenses 3 weeks ago?

Ben Roethlisberger had a day off. He’s to blame for most of the incompletions, even when the football passed close to his receivers (I mean, unless he’s expecting Odell Beckham style catches on every throw) he either overthrew or underthrew them frequently. And please, don’t blame that on the hit he received to his throwing hand: he was throwing out of spot before the injury happened, too.

He was picked twice, and could have been picked at least 4 more times (because of bad throws that were his fault, which NOs DB dropped consistently). While the 1^st interception was on Ben (even though, Heyward-Bey was unaware of where the football was, which made an easy pick for Vaccaro), the second one was on Adams: he was abused all day by Cameron Jordan, and instead of pushing him outside the pocket, he was expecting the DE to run into him, closing the pocket and letting the DE use his hands.

Le’Veon Bell was underused, even when he had more than 250 yards from scrimmage (I know, 100 of them came on garbage time). While he ran for more than 70 yards in the first 20 minutes of the game (which were good for a mere 6 points), after that he ran 7 times for 25 yards. Not his fault, and he can’t be blamed. He’s a true pro bowler (and probably an All Pro this season). This kid makes things happen, and that’s why you need to get him involved early, often and continuously during the game.  And that would have allowed opening up a deeper passing game, earlier. For the ones looking to an opportunity for Dri Archer to show up, he ran once (no gain), and don’t expect him to have a larger role while playing either from behind or in close games: Coach Haley will not give Bell a rest while the game is on the line.

Antonio Brown managed to put up decent numbers, even while he was shadowed during some portions of the game. Meanwhile, Wheaton and Miller were frequently overthrown or underthrown, while still being able to manage some catches. Wheaton’s route running has improved; while Miller’s ability to get open on playaction passes helped him manage 8 catches. Bryant seemed to be a factor on this game after the first series, but after that he was mostly well covered.

Overall, receivers were held without a deep threat opportunity. Heyward-Bey is a fast athlete, who lacks awareness (on that interception in the endzone, he didn’t even knew where the football was) or football hunger. He should have been able to at least fight for the ball and play defender, not allowing Vaccaro to play Center Fielder and grab an easy pick. Wheaton should be taking his spot on deep routes, and Justin Brown called up to play the 5^th receiver role.

Offensive Line: While on paper the Offensive Line had a decent game, opening lanes when the Steelers tried to run the football, and keeping Ben relatively clean, they let the Saints block some passes at the line of scrimmage and put some pressure on Roethlisberger. Coach Munchack has been able to develop this unit, which is clearly on its upside (If you doubt it, please go look some tape from the last couple of years). For sure, he’ll correct these issues as the remainder of the season unfolds.  Mike Adams started for Gilbert. Adams is a solid run blocker, who sometimes gets abused by pass rushers, and this game was no exception, while Jordan was able to approach our QB on several occasions. Still too early to judge, but after the season is over, the Steelers need to handle their OL depth situation.

Defense: Where are our blitzes, part V?

Our Front  7 wasn’t able to hurry Brees, and gave him enough time to throw. Heyward, Kiesel, Tuitt and Cam Thomas combined for 8 tackles and no sacks. Without being pressured for most of the game, Drew Brees was able to pick apart each and every Steelers DB during the game. He also wasn’t forced into bad throws. Even worse, the Saints gained 143 yards rushing (5.5 yards / attempt) and kept all of their options open: running effectively attracted the Steelers Safeties, opening their passing game. McLendon was missed, Tuitt had a couple of pressures and Heyward wasn’t able to approach Brees. Spence allowed a flat-route TD to their fullback (who was quicker to the outside on that play than Spence). On which was probably the greatest play by this unit, Vince Williams sacked Brees on 3^rd down, but was called back by a holding penalty by our DBs. James Harrison and Jason Worilds struggled to pressure Brees, but that was mostly on scheme: both dropped into coverage often, while it’s not their strength. On the injury front, Kiesel was hurt on what has been rumored a season-ending (career ending?) torn triceps. A shot to the Steelers chances, since Kiesel has been a leader on the defense and has made several plays for this team during the ongoing season.

Lacking pressure against a future hall of famer makes him look like… well, a hall of famer. Dropping your best pass rushers into coverage sometimes will help your chances by keeping the QB guessing. Dropping them into coverage frequently will just hurt your chances to get to the opposing QB. Fine line, crossed due to conservative playcalling.

The Saints were able to score on 5 of 6 drives, following their first three. If something isn’t working, and isn’t working again, please change it. What happened to exotic blitzes and exotic looks? Brees is an experienced QB who knows how to handle pressure, when it’s manageable. But he’s also a future Hall of Famer, who knows what to do when given time.

And all of the above helped our DBs get exposed, once again. Gay  (1 TD on a misread, 1 long pass completion), Taylor (2 TDs, on a long throw and a missed tackle) and Blake (1 TD, 1 holding penalty on a 3^rd down stop) made costly mistakes that kept giving chances to their offense, while having little supports from their safeties. This team hasn’t had a pro bowl caliber cornerback since Rod Woodson, and while everyone in the league seems to take notice, our scheme keeps putting them in position to cover faster receivers one on one, without getting help on deep routes.

Several times this season, the Steelers seem to play without Safeties: they are off-spot, late or torched on a misread (examples can be found on tape against the Jets, Browns, Ravens, Bucs and Colts). McCain was out since the first quarter, and with Cortez Allen out, Blake and Taylor split time at CB. Starting Taylor just after a brief stint getting reps with the team on practice was a risky bet, which resulted in a constant targeting on him, while he was either out of spot or missing tackles. This guy has spirit, but that doesn’t make a guy a pro bowler, and this was the case on this game.

Special teams

The Steelers finally got a big kickoff return (41 yards, by Wheaton), but weren’t able to capitalize on field position (got intercepted 3 plays later). Suisham has never been a strong kicker, and hasn’t been challenged frequently to kick from more than 50 yards. The coaching staff knows it too, and they weren’t able to move closer in an effort to make that attempt easier. While he had 3 field goals (with a long of 49) and is mostly reliable, he’s never to be accounted when attempting a 50+ yarder.  Keeping your playmakers in position to make things happen is smart, but Antonio Brown hasn’t been able to contribute as expected as a punt returner since Week 2: his longest return in the game was good for 13 yards (and had another one for 1 yard).

Just Wondering:

Can Fantasy Football help someone’s chances to go to the Pro Bowl or Being named All Pro? Fantasy football owners would be happy to have Bell and Brown, since both accounted for a bunch of fantasy points this game. Will this help their chances of going to the Pro Bowl and / or be named All-Pro? Getting notice around the league is helpful in both categories, and this puts them on the radar again.

Why start Ike Taylor, being out since week 3? This guy is smart, has character and loves the game. But he is not a shutdown CB anymore –if he ever was-, and wasn’t a clear upgrade over what McCain and Blake, particularly playing handicapped. Coach LeBeau loves this guy, but starting him right after he came back was a mistake.

Worst offseason move nominees? For many, free agent signings of Heyward Bay, Cam Thomas, Mike Mitchell, Legarrette Blount are lock nominees. Also, contract extensions of Cortez Allen and Marcus Gilbert. Giving a franchise tender to Worilds would be on someone’s minds too. Is drafting “injury-prone” Shazier with the 1^st round pick in the mix now?

Guess this opens the door for Cortez Allen. If he has learned something about being benched, he will most likely have a shot next week, and make the most out of it. If McCain isn’t able to play, this guy will be called up, and will be playing under the microscope.

Rod Woodson. Aaron Smith. Brett Kiesel? Will Coach Tomlin carry Brett Kiesel on the roster, to use him as a motivation for the remainder of the schedule? Injuries and lack of depth will have a say in this, too.

Is Polamalu on a career – low? No interceptions, non-factor in most games, out of spot frequently, is this his last season with the Steelers (or in football)? This guy loves the game, but as methodical as he is, must be wondering about his future.

Free advice to the younger fans: get a chance to see a hall of famer play live, before he retires. Read again the line right above this one.

With that in mind: Is this the time where the next man up should be getting real game reps? Is Shamarko Thomas an upgrade to our DB situation?

And with all of the above in mind, is it the time to go CB on the 1^st round of next year’s 1^st draft? Look at the roster, and think about it.

Has anyone counted the TD passes at Heinz Field this season? Yes, me and that’s 35, and counting. Almost 6 TD passes per game between the Steelers and their visitors.

What comes next?

A visit to the Bengals on Sunday. Someone has to cover AJ Green and M Sanu. And the easier way to handle this will be to put pressure, early and often, on Andy Dalton, who is mistake prone when hit or pressured. The Steelers still hold the driver’s seat for the Division Title if they win out. Even if they win this next game, and lose another one, they can still have a chance at it. Going further, even if they lose at Cincinnati, they will still be in contention for a Wild Card berth.

Well, I’ll discuss it extensively on a Playoff Picture analysis later this week. For now, keep an eye on the Dolphins – Jets game. While I’m not a fan of rooting for other teams, it’ll be smart to wish everyone in contention loses each week.

By the numbers

6 times the Steelers have scored 30+ points this Season, this one being the first game they score as many points and lose.

7 times the Steelers have lost to teams with a losing record since 2013.

28 Consecutive games where Antonio Brown has 5 receptions and 50 yards, an NFL record.

35 points allowed by the Steelers, a season high.

35 TD passes combined on games played at Heinz Field this season (almost 6 per game).

58 Passing attempts by Roethlisberger, a Steelers record.

254 yards from scrimmage for Le’veon Bell (2^nd highest total in Steelers history)

4940 yards passing for the season- Roethlisberger’s projection (308 yards per game).

A win against the New Orleans Saints will place Coach Tomlin among the ranks of some elite coaches with a somewhat obscure stat. A victory today will make mike Tomlin the 7th head coach in NFL history with at least 8 wins in each of their 1st 8 seasons. Only 3 have done so with one team. (H/T Dom Rinelli)

The other 6 coaches to have reached this achievement are George Allen, Dennis Green, Mike Holmgren, John Madden, George Seifert and Don Shula.

A win today would also give the Steelers 8 wins in a season for 11 straight seasons. The only other team with a longer streak is New England with 14 seasons.

Hall of Fame running back and Steelers legend Franco Harris will serve as an honorary co-captain for today’s game, as the team celebrates the anniversary of Super Bowl IX.

Also notable- former Steelers guard Kendall Simmons will lead the Terrible Towel twirl for today’s game.

To honor the 40th anniversary of SB IX, the Steelers will wear these patches on their jerseys today:

https://twitter.com/SteelersPRBurt/status/536865296242311169

Here are some pretty great pics of the reunion taking place during this alumni weekend.

https://twitter.com/Teresa_Varley/status/539099420575662080

https://twitter.com/BCTBradford/status/539094972558213122

https://twitter.com/MarkKaboly_Trib/status/539089335447220224

https://twitter.com/ScottBrown_ESPN/status/539087961954856962

https://twitter.com/Teresa_Varley/status/539080500468809728