Baltimore's 'MNF' win concludes a 'suboptimal' NFL Week 12 for the Steelers

Week 12 of the NFL season was… how can I put this… less than ideal for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Suboptimal, maybe? How about that?

However you want to phrase it, things could’ve gone better.

For instance, the Steelers could’ve finally — for a change — beaten the typically rudderless Browns in Cleveland to extend their win streak to six games.

Instead, the 8-2 Steelers fell to the 2-8 Browns in a game that featured steadily falling snowflakes and even more rapidly falling confidence in the coaching staff after a cornucopia of blown calls and poor decisions.

Apparently, if you believe CBS NFL Insider Jason La Canfora, that dissatisfaction went beyond the fan and media circles and into the building itself.

Big time NFL insider Jason La Confora says on @937theFan that some people inside the Steelers organization were very unhappy with Arthur Smith's play-calling Thursday night in Cleveland.

Interesting.

— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) November 26, 2024

So, not only did the Steelers lose in Northeast Ohio to slip to 8-3 on Thursday, but their opponents this week, the Cincinnati Bengals (4-7), were resting on a bye. Also, the Kansas City Chiefs won on Sunday to extend their lead on Pittsburgh and Buffalo for the top spot in the AFC with a 30-27 victory over the Carolina Panthers.

Then, on “Monday Night Football,” the Baltimore Ravens outdueled the Los Angeles Chargers 30-23. As a result, Baltimore improves to 8-4, pulling within a half-game of the Steelers for first place in the AFC North, which also currently means third place in the conference.

If you are searching for silver linings, though, here are a few:

• Buffalo was also on a bye. So the Steelers didn’t lose any additional ground to the Bills in the chase for at least second place in the AFC.

• The Houston Texans, who currently hold the fourth seed as leaders of the AFC South, were upset at home by the 3-8 Tennessee Titans. So they fell to 7-5.

• Also, while the Ravens’ win on Monday night wasn’t the preferred outcome, it’s not the worst result in the world.

If the Steelers take care of their own business more often than not over the last six weeks — including a second win over the Ravens on Dec. 21 — help from the Chargers or anyone else will become irrelevant.

Baltimore staying in that fifth-seeded top wild card spot instead of threatening to be the sixth seed that would come to Pittsburgh in a first-round playoff game is a preferable option.

If you are giving me a choice, I’d rather face the Chargers in a potential 3-versus-6 game on a January day in Pittsburgh than Baltimore for a third time.

Or, if we are being greedy, maybe Justin Herbert and the Chargers could tumble their way down to the seventh-seed and rookie Bo Nix and the Broncos might have to come to Pittsburgh for a first-round game.

Is that projecting too far out and being overly speculative in Thanksgiving week?

Absolutely.

Am I hunting to find a morsel of good news from a football weekend that was otherwise poisoned way back on Thursday when the Steelers coaches mangled that game in Cleveland?

You betcha.

Hey, don’t get mad at me for trying to brighten your day. It’s almost Thanksgiving. This is me trying to get into a festive spirit. I’m just thankful the Steelers are in first place.

For now.

Let’s see what we are saying by the time all the turkey leftovers are gone by Monday morning and by the time Joe Burrow and his receivers are done with the Steelers defense.

LISTEN: Tim Benz speaks with Bengals play-by-play man Dan Hoard about the Steelers’ upcoming game in Cincinnati.