The Pittsburgh Steelers are in elite company. They are one of just 13 teams to start 11-0 in the Super Bowl era, and they are vying to become the first team since the 2007 New England Patriots to finish a regular season undefeated.
There’s just one problem: they aren’t playing that well.
“It’s definitely impressive,” former Steelers linebacker and three-time Pro Bowler Chad Brown said on After Hours with Amy Lawrence, referring to Pittsburgh’s 11-0 start. “I think you can be dazzled by the number, but just as Mike Tomlin has been talking about, the Steelers haven’t been playing a complete game for a couple of weeks now and they certainly aren’t playing really good football. They’re finding ways to win, but in some ways they’re playing down to their opponents' level – like, say, the Dallas Cowboys a few weeks ago.”
The Steelers have won six games by seven points or fewer. Four of their last six games have been decided by five points or fewer, including wins over the Cowboys (3-8) and COVID-depleted Ravens (6-5).
“So 11-0, tip of the cap, kudos, definitely hard to do,” Brown said. “But I think every player in that locker room would tell you they’d rather win the Super Bowl than try to find a way to go through the regular season undefeated. There’s a much greater goal out there than just that.”
The Steelers’ end-of-season slate is not easy. They play against Washington (4-7), at Buffalo (8-3), at Cincinnati (2-8-1), against Indianapolis (7-4) and at Cleveland (8-3). Three of those squads – the Bills, Colts and Browns – are currently playoff teams.
Kickoff against Washington is slated for Monday, Dec. 7, at 5 p.m. ET.