Are the Steelers more unpredictable than Bitcoin?

Volatility is defined as “liability to change rapidly and unpredictably, especially for the worse.” This term has been tossed around recently regarding Bitcoin, the fad cryptocurrency. The odd thing about Bitcoin is when you’re watching it you see extreme volatility – rapid change can happen at any moment and usually, there’s no rhyme or reason for it. There are high high’s and low low’s, and it can leave you cheering or screaming without any notice.

Why am I talking about Bitcoin?

Because you can replace “Bitcoin” with “Steelers” in that paragraph and it still makes perfect sense. Observe…

The term volatility has been tossed around recently regarding the Steelers. The odd thing about the Steelers is when you’re watching them, you see extreme volatility – rapid change can happen at any moment and usually, there’s no rhyme or reason for it. There are high high’s and low low’s… and yes, I just said that, above to describe Bitcoin, but consequently the Steelers can also leave you cheering or screaming without any notice!

Embed from Getty Images

Gimmicks aside there is no denying the Steelers have been maddeningly unpredictable this season. This week’s game versus the Baltimore Ravens is a perfect example.

In the first half, the Steelers had four straight drives that ended with points on the scoreboard: a touchdown, a touchdown, a field goal, and another field goal. The offense was humming with consistency and the team entered halftime with a 20-14 lead.

The second half is where the volatility kicked in. The offense opened with three straight offensive drives that ended with punts. This allowed the Ravens to recover from the six-point deficit and gain a commanding eleven point lead. Following that the Steelers again had four straight drives that ended with points. That is four drives with points, three drives with punts, then four drives with points again – a volatility sandwich.

This has been the story with the Pittsburgh Steelers throughout the 2017 season. It wasn’t hyperbole earlier when I referenced “high high’s and low low’s” as that statement legitimately describes the Steelers offense versus the Ravens.

For comparison, let’s look at the Eagles versus the Rams this week. In the first half, the Eagles six offensive drives ended with: touchdown, touchdown, touchdown, punt, punt, field goal. The team had some failed drives but rallied back quickly. Also during the drives that ended with punts, the Eagles defense forced the Rams offense to punt. So while the offense wasn’t perfect, the defense helped the team maintain their lead.

On the other hand, when the Steelers had their streak of drives ending with punts, the defense allowed the Ravens offense to score points following each Steeler punt. The inconsistency isn’t limited to the offense. The team as a whole is volatile.

Embed from Getty Images

At this point, we all know who the Steelers are – they are a peaks and valleys team. This team is just as likely to make a big play as they are to give up a big play. It’s what we’ve all become accustomed to over these past three weeks where the Steelers haven’t won a game by more than three points.

Honestly, what matters is that they continue to rally and play hard. It also helps to have the best quarterback, wide receiver and running back trio in the league. Fortune favors the prepared. The Steelers must be physically ready for shootout games and mentally ready for the inevitable low’s they will be facing.

Experts are predicting the Bitcoin bubble may pop at any moment: let’s all hope the Steelers don’t share a similar fate.


Suggested articles from our sponsors