Bye Week

The most dreaded week for Steelers fans is quickly approaching, the bye week. Steeler football will not be played this week, and Steelers fans will have to wait another week before watching the black and gold again. It is truly a tragedy. However, it is an opportune time to look over the season the Steelers have been having so far, and determine where they need to go heading forward.

As of now, the Steelers currently maintain a record of 6-4. This puts them at a winning percentage of .600. While this isn't the start the Steelers were hoping for, it is hard to be mad about this outcome. The Steelers have been plagued with injuries and suspensions this year. First, they had to overcome two game and four game suspensions of running back Le'Veon Bell and wide receiver Martavis Bryant, respectively. Then during the middle of this season's campaign, they lost quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to an MCL injury that sidelined him for several weeks. Upon his return, Le'Veon Bell's season was ended due to an MCL injury. Clearly, the Steelers have had their share of bad luck this year.

Nevertheless, backups have always been good replacements for these injured players. Running back DeAngelo Williams proved to be an outstanding off season pick-up. The veteran player has seemingly gained new life in the Steeler offense. He has already racked up multiple 100 yard games and multi-touchdown games.

Roethlisberger's backups have also performed well. The combination of Michael Vick and Landry Jones were able to post a .500 record while Ben was out. This is no small feat for two quarterbacks who are not assimilated with the starting offense. Additionally, Jones lacked any real NFL experience. He started his first game during this stretch.

Now although backups have been able to keep the Steelers afloat in the playoff picture, their dreams of a division title have seemingly vanquished. The rival Cincinnati Bengals are currently at 8-1. This leads the division and is 2.5 games in front of the Steelers. With only six games remaining, it would take several crucial wins by the Steelers and several losses by the Bengals in order to obtain any hope of securing a division title.

Moving forward, the Steelers face a schedule with many divisional opponents. This is a positive due to the fact that the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns are two of the worst teams in the league this year. However, their non-divisional opponents include the likes of the Seattle Seahawks and the Denver Broncos. Both of these teams are viable Super Bowl contenders this year. Wins against these two teams and the Bengals will be crucial.

With all this said the Steelers have posted a very average season this year. Nevertheless, all that matters in the end is making the playoffs and having a shot at the Super Bowl. If the Steelers accomplish this then the season will have surely been a success. HERE WE GO STEELERS!!!!