Even with time off, the Steelers will be ready

13-3, the 2017 regular season record of the Pittsburgh Steelers.  The record is phenomenal, exceeded by nobody in the NFL this season. After projecting an 11-5 record for this team in late August, I’m certainly impressed with where they landed by the last day of December.

It was a wild ride that saw a loss to the Bears in overtime, a crushing loss to the Jaguars at home with Ben Roethlisberger throwing five of his season total fourteen interceptions; and a controversial loss at home to the New England Patriots which ultimately cost the Steelers the number one overall seed in the AFC playoffs.

The black and gold swept through the AFC North with a perfect 6-0 record. They also won the close contests this year with nine of their wins being by a touchdown or less.  They showed resiliency by overcoming the Le’Veon Bell holdout, the National Anthem controversy in Chicago, the injuries to Ryan Shazier and Antonio Brown late in the season as well as the early season struggles of Roethlisberger.

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Now, at 13-3, they earned a first-round playoff bye and they get to wait. They will face one of three opponents on Sunday January 14th.  Whichever team they face will be a rematch. It will be either the Titans, Chiefs or Jaguars who visit Heinz Field.

The Steelers will be ready for anyone they face. They won’t fret in the face of a rematch with the Jags, a team who smashed them in Heinz Field by 21 points early in the season. They’ll be ready.

They won’t worry about already having punished the Titans handily in November or owning the Chiefs the last several years, having to beat either team again. They’ll be ready.

They’re resilient, a 13-3 record, having to overcome all they have overcome is proof of that.  The colossal rematch with New England sits on the horizon. It just takes one win by both teams to get there.  The Steelers won’t overlook their next opponent, they know what it takes to get the results they desire.

They will take the next couple of weeks to rest, game plan and surely take a peak at possible opponents they may face.

From there, they’ll get to work.  They have plenty of extra motivation to win this season. If not for each other, for Dan Rooney, the late owner who passed this off-season. Or for Ryan Shazier or just to keep the Patriots from tying their NFL record 6th Super Bowl titles.

Whatever the use for motivation, one thing is certain, this team will be ready to continue their quest for number seven and it will start in two weeks.


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