The Pittsburgh Steelers are reeling after losing five of their last seven games. And this Sunday, they face off against the Baltimore Ravens in Maryland. Both teams are 6-6, and the AFC North is up for grabs.
But despite all the opportunities ahead of them, things look bleak for the Steelers. After they lost to the Buffalo Bills last Sunday, Steelers reporter Missi Matthews said that the locker room “was by far one of the most quiet” she’d been in. Something has to change ahead of Sunday’s game. And analyst Sam Monson says that it has to start with head coach Mike Tomlin and QB Aaron Rodgers.
“Like, Rodgers being a Hall of Famer, one of the greatest quarterbacks ever to play, Mike Tomlin being a great coach, a motivator of people. This is the week it needs to show up,” Monson said of what he called “motivational aura” Thursday on Check The Mic. “This is the team they need to show up against, and they need to show up this second. If they can’t do it, it doesn’t even matter what the rest of their season looks like.”
It feels like the Steelers’ season hangs on a knife’s edge. One way, the Steelers take a lead in the division and have a game up on the Ravens. The path to the playoffs and a division title is crystal clear. The other way, the Steelers face an uphill struggle to claw back into a Wild Card spot.
That’s why this game is so important. And that’s why both Tomlin and Rodgers need to show up throughout the week and on Sunday. Rodgers has Super Bowl-winning experience. So does Tomlin. And Tomlin is supposed to be a master motivator, rallying his players to a non-losing season no matter the circumstances.
And if the Steelers lose this game, Tomlin and company may be staring their first losing season in his head-coaching career directly in the face. The Steelers aren’t fired up; they’re despondent. Rodgers and Tomlin need to get them fired up for facing their biggest rivals for control of the North.
And Monson is very interested to see how Rodgers plays on Sunday.
“I’m curious to see if this husk of, you know, great, all-time greats in the NFL from a while ago can pull it together for a game where they know everything’s on the line,” Monson said.
The Steelers’ AFC North and playoff hopes rest on the right arm of a 42-year-old four-time NFL MVP quarterback, along with a sputtering running game and a defense that is best described as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. And it’s up to Aaron Rodgers and Mike Tomlin to bring everything together on Sunday versus the Ravens. Curious, indeed.
