I’ve been reading some really irritating hot takes around the Internet since the Steelers loss to the Oakland Raiders on Sunday. Chief among those negative comments is that the Steelers season is “over”.

Granted, it hasn’t looked good the last few games. In fact, the Steelers don’t look like a playoff contender. They’ve just dropped three-straight games, all to AFC West teams, with two major Super Bowl contenders looming in the next two weeks with games against the New England Patriots and New Orleans Saints.

But I’m here to tell Steelers Nation that not all is lost. At least not yet.

There are three games left in the season and by all means, it’s an “Any Given Sunday” situation for the Steelers. Heck, I can’t believe I’m actually saying that right now… because how did we get here?

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There was panic early on in the season when the Steelers dropped to 1-2-1 with a tie against the Browns and a loss to the Ravens: both division games, which are never “gimmes”. The other loss came at the hands of a still red-hot Kansas City Chiefs team which may have this year’s MVP as their quarterback.

Then the Steeler ripped off six straight wins, taking care of business with three victories against the AFC North and handing the Carolina Panthers a beating at home. They showed their grit by pulling out a grueling road revenge game against the Jacksonville Jaguars before beating themselves against the Broncos and Raiders, and questionably doing the same against the Chargers too.

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Should the Steelers fix the ways they find to lose games, I’d argue they could be the most dangerous team in football. Yes, I’m aware of the LA Rams and the Saints, and even the Patriots: but all of those teams have dropped some games that I’m sure their own fans felt entitled to win too. Heck, losing to the Titans and Dolphins probably hurts as bad to Patriots fans as the Broncos and Raiders losses sting to Steelers Nation.

No team is without their faults and no team ever plays perfect football. But it’s up to the Steelers to make sure that when the scoreboard reads 0:00 at the end of the game that they’re the side who makes the least mistakes. These shortcomings, such as penalties, missed passes and missed scoring opportunities (including field goals and extra points) are all preventable.

Most of all they’re fixable.

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The Steelers aren’t in the worst position when it comes to the postseason right now either. They lead their division which is good for a home playoff game if the season ended today. Yes, I feel the same lack of confidence given the way they’ve played in recent weeks, but once again, to expect a team to constantly play to perfection isn’t realistic either.

I’ve come to accept that there will be bumps in the road, and right now, when it comes to the path to the playoffs, the Steelers are in the driver’s seat when it comes to determining their own destiny. They have a half-game lead over the Ravens and can possibly shake things up in the AFC race by beating the Patriots at home this Sunday…

Something they should’ve already done last season if the NFL knew what a catch is! (Jesse caught it!)

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So, have faith Steelers fans: three games is a lot of football left to be played. It’s precisely the amount of games that Pittsburgh will likely have to play to appear in the Super Bowl, should they come out on top of the AFC North at the end of the regular season. Therefore it’s not impossible to think that a team considered to be a contender could beat other contenders: it’s exactly what they’ll have to do if they’re still playing in January.