For weeks I have been defending Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin, the entire organization and front office, for what (some) fans felt were losses to “bad teams”.

Okay, in context, the loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, by score alone, is one of the worst losses in team history… but even in that game, the Steelers lost their defensive captain and were shell-shocked with a few other injuries.

In fact, injuries played a major factor in the 4-game losing streak, that many felt doomed the entire 2016 season. Ben Roethlisberger got hurt in the Miami Dolphins game, didn’t play against the New England Patriots, and (maybe) came back too early against the Baltimore Ravens. (Oh and Maurkice Pouncey was also injured in the Ravens game, which is a “big” deal.)

And of course, the Steelers dropped a hard fought game against the Dallas Cowboys, who haven’t lost a game since their first week of the season.

You’re probably thinking by now, that I’m making a bunch of excuses for the Steelers losses? Well yes, and no. On the surface, losing to an 1-4 Miami Dolphins team on the road may seem like the sky is falling, but I’m going to show everyone exactly why these losses, were the losses that Pittsburgh was going to suffer this season, regardless of how they were positioned on the schedule.

The 5 teams that have beaten the #Steelers this year are a combined 37-17 overall, .685.

— David Todd (@DavidMTodd) November 28, 2016

Ah yes David, your tweet was my inspiration for this piece, though I had been keeping my own tally anyway. Let’s break down each of those Steeler losses, and how those teams are faring currently.

Philadelphia Eagles

Records going in: Steelers (2-0) Eagles (2-0)
Current record: Eagles (5-5)

The Steelers just slayed their division nemesis, the Cincinnati Bengals at home, and were now 2-0 to start the season. Surely they’d walk into Philadelphia, a place where they have zero history of winning, and destroy a rookie head coach and his rookie quarterback… right?

Of course it didn’t turn out that way, and the boo birds were all over that week, despite a number of injuries thwarting the Steelers plans in this game (Ryan Shazier being a big one, as he called the plays on defense, and then Lawrence Timmons also got hurt. Vince Williams had to strap on the headset gear, and well, on the road, that’s just a mess!)

The Eagles are now 5-5, trading some wins and losses within their own division, and some of the league’s top competition: they bested the Vikings defense, beat the Falcons, but lost to the Vikings, Giants and Seahawks. With a very good NFC East division this year, that places the Eagles in the basement of their own division.

Still, they are a .500 team heading into Week 13.

Miami Dolphins

Records going in: Steelers (4-1) Dolphins (1-4)
Current record: Dolphins (7-4)

Heading into Miami, the Dolphins had only won one game: against the Cleveland Browns.

In overtime.

Surely this would be a Steelers stomping in South Beach, yet, Pittsburgh lost more than the game: Ben Roethlisberger was injured during this game, and if not for a bye week, may have missed more than the one game he would end up missing due to the injury.

On the other hand, Pittsburgh got manhandled on the ground by RB Jay Ajayi, a player who was unknown at the time and couldn’t beat out the now-retired Arian Foster for the starting job.

What was lost in translation was how much the team missed Cameron Heyward, how big of an impact Ben’s play had been due to that 2nd quarter injury, and the penalties which killed any momentum the Steelers could’ve generated.

The loss was ugly, but the Dolphins haven’t lost a game since, ripping off 6 straight wins: if the playoffs started today, Miami would be one of the wildcard teams.

In context, the Dolphins weren’t a bad team, but a team suffering from it’s own injuries (their offensive linemen that returned in this game) and a case of identity.

If you’re still mad about this one, hopefully those feelings are reversed this Sunday, when the Dolphins take on the Ravens. If Miami is a good football team, perhaps they can do the same things they did against the Pittsburgh, against Baltimore.

New England Patriots

Records going in: Steelers (4-2) Patriots (5-1)
Current record: Patriots (9-2)

It’s the Patriots: what else did we expect here? Even preseason, without factoring in injuries, almost anyone with an educated opinion knew this would be a difficult game to win.

Making matters worse was the loss of Ben Roethlisberger, who was out for this game and replaced by Landry Jones. Jones wasn’t the liability that everyone thought he could be, and Pittsburgh had some opportunities to win this game.

This game honestly gives many hope that the Steelers could beat the Patriots, if Big Ben were to play in a rematch. I tend to agree, as Pittsburgh rose to the occasion, but just could not stop the chess match running attack of New England late in the contest.

Baltimore Ravens

Records going in: Steelers (4-3) Ravens (3-4)
Current record: Ravens (6-5)

Again, this is a game that hurts to lose, but we all realize that playing division opponents, especially on the road, never quantifies as an automatic victory. Nonetheless, this will be another tick in that box of “road losses to sub .500 teams under Mike Tomlin” despite the Ravens currently having a winning record on the season.

We pretty much know the offense wasn’t moving along in this game. Ben returned from injury, and as per usual, does not play “like Ben” in those games following a return to the lineup. Furthermore, a backup center had to jump in and try to maintain the silent snap count, which also hurt chemistry for the offense in a hostile road environment.

This is another of those unfortunate Ravens losses, when Baltimore always finds a way to play the Steelers when they’re down.

The silver lining? Baltimore still has a heck of a schedule ahead of them, including a trip to New England to face the Patriots, home games against the Dolphins and Eagles, and closing out their season with back-to-back road games at Heinz Field, and a trip to Cincinnati (a team who often owns them in head-to-headg games like the Ravens have the Steelers over the last few seasons.)

Dallas Cowboys

Records going in: Steelers (4-4) Cowboys (7-1)
Current record: Cowboys (10-1)

Perhaps the hottest team in football, the Steelers nearly had the Cowboys number, but lost a close, tough game in the closing minute (after making a comeback all of their own.)

I only get beat up over this game, because I know Pittsburgh could’ve won. They showed the same poise they did against the Patriots, and forced Dallas to make mistakes in their own building. Ben Roethlisberger was sharp, and the lead changed a ridiculous amount of times throughout the game.

Again, this is one of those games you look at one paper, and think, this could be an “L”. That’s why I mentioned not getting to bent out of shape about the loss.

Conclusion

Yes, we always want a win, but realistically, most teams find it difficult to get 10, 11, or more wins in today’s NFL. Over the course of a 16 game schedule, there are going to be some disappointments, and losses, throughout the journey.

The Steelers now hold the keys to that final destination, and we will discuss those upcoming games in another article. For now, take solace in knowing that Pittsburgh has lost to some solid football teams thus far, while also holding wins over the 6-4-1 Washington Redskins, and the 8-3 Kansas City Chiefs.

It reminds me of a time when the Steelers snuck into the playoffs as a 6th seed, and ended up going all the way to winning the Super Bowl.