Buckle Up — Because The Steelers Have a Roller Coaster Ride Ahead
The ups and downs that have defined the 2025 season aren't going away anytime soon.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS TIGHT END DARNELL WASHINGTON | PHOTO BY TAYLOR OLLASON/PITTSBURGH STEELERS
In the wake of a disheartening away loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in October, Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers maintained he wasn’t going to “ride the roller coaster” — and insisted head coach Mike Tomlin wasn’t about to, either.
It seemed like good advice at the time. And yet, here we are.
It’s just days before Christmas, and Kennywood is still open. As far as the Steelers are concerned, the roller coaster never stops; not most seasons in general, and especially not this one in particular. There have already been enough ups and downs to fill a summer.
And — this just in — more is coming. Strap in now, because it’s going to continue to be a bumpy ride, especially if it plays out as follows:
Scenario 1: The Steelers get blasted by the Lions on Sunday in Detroit. The Lions, like the Steelers, are 8-6, but the Lions also have an armada of an offense and will be the more desperate of the two teams colliding at Ford Field.
That means the roller coaster is about to plummet.
When it does, the good vibrations generated by the Steelers’ wins over Baltimore and Miami will be shattered. The vocal contingent among the fan base that has been screaming for Tomlin’s head will also take it as a cue to resume screaming.
Scenario 2: The Ravens beat either the Patriots this Sunday in Baltimore, or the Packers on Dec. 27 in Green Bay. Assuming the Steelers lose to the Lions, by blowout or otherwise, one win in their next two games gets the Ravens to the regular-season finale.
The Ravens have their warts, as do the Steelers, but Baltimore doesn’t have so many that it can’t, or won’t, win one of its next two games.
The roller coaster will rise and fall accordingly.
Scenario 3: The Steelers beat the Browns on Dec. 28 in Cleveland. It might be a meaningless game — and it definitely will be if the Steelers lose to the Lions and the Ravens beat the Patriots — but a win over the Browns in Cleveland will nonetheless be embraced by Steeler Nation, particularly if things don’t go well in Detroit.
The Browns also are bad enough that the Steelers can, and will, beat them simply by showing up.
The roller coaster will ascend again.
Scenario 4: The Steelers will host the Ravens on a still-undetermined date on the regular season’s final weekend with the AFC North and a spot in the playoffs at stake.
And the ups and downs will both rise to new heights and drop to new lows.
Traditionally, Ravens-Steelers games have plenty of both, just because. The win-and-you’re-in-or-lose-and-go-home factor will exacerbate the type of rivalry game the Steelers and Ravens almost always play. Those are historically already choked with emotion, and more often than not come off as just about equal parts exhilarating and terrifying on both sides.
You weren’t expecting anything less by now, were you? Just make sure your seatbelt is fastened and keep your arms in the car.
No offense to Rodgers, but we’ve been destined to ride this roller coaster to its finish all along.
