What's that magic number for you in terms of how many wins the Pittsburgh Steelers need to hit to reach the playoffs? For me, it is nine. Yep, nine.
I think nine wins would get them in.
No telling what they'd do if they got there; but nine wins (to me at least) would be enough to secure a spot in the single-elimination tournament Mike Tomlin loves to talk about so much.
Know what all of this means? They have to get three wins in their final five games as the Steelers head to Minnesota tonight with a 6-5-1 record to play the first of those five games remaining.
So you got the Vikings tonight, home against Tennessee, at Kansas City, home to Cleveland and then a trip to Baltimore rounds out the season.
It is a bit of a steep climb, but in fairness one that doesn't seem insurmountable and surely not the most daunting schedule ever.
So let's work off that premise I floated forward that nine wins will get you in …
Now let's advance a proposition that the Steelers lose tonight against the Vikings.
Do you really think this team has it in them to win three games in four tries coming to the wire at the end of the season?
What have you seen from them this season that you feel comfortable they could play .750 football over the final four games if need-be?
I've seen nothing.
That is to say, from this vantage, there isn't a chance in the world they could rip off three wins against the Titans, Chiefs, Browns and Ravens if that was the proposition that had to happen for them. Not with this team, not with the injuries on defense and not with the up and down nature of this quarterback.
But let's run it back and say they win tonight, say they get that W in the dome.
Two wins in the last four is definitely conceivable. The Browns are a scuffling outfit --- and the Steelers have them at Heinz Field in Ben Roethlisberger's swan song --- so it would appear Pittsburgh would have a great shot to win that game. That would leave having to notch just one win out of the Titans, Chiefs and Ravens games; that's something I feel is certainly doable.
There are a ton of playoff machinations and different maneuverings for teams this time of the season in the NFL. Especially this season, as it feels like there is more parity --- sometimes it feels like parody actually --- than ever.
But you know what? It really all starts tonight. Or more to the point could all end tonight.
If the Steelers lose to the Vikings, I'm thinking the playoff hopes are kaput.
