My Hottest Take: This Is Ground Zero For Whatever’s Next

Pittsburgh’s loss to the Browns paints a very clear picture for their regular season finale against Baltimore: winner makes the playoffs, loser goes home. However, Monday provided even higher stakes with Adam Schefter theorizing that the losing coach might leave the team in the aftermath. Given the extensive tenures of both coaches (John Harbaugh is in his 18th year as a head coach, Tomlin is in his 19th), a change in leadership would be a colossal shift for both the team and the NFL as a whole.

Tomlin’s departure would signal the Steelers rebuild that never truly developed after the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger, sending a consistently dangerous franchise down to the muck of tanking teams, developing rookies and whatever the Jets are doing. That is, however, assuming he loses. A win almost certainly keeps him at the helm for the immediate future at least. Once Pittsburgh makes it to the playoffs, anything can happen, especially in a wide open AFC. His fate rests in the hands of a Ravens team that might be without Lamar Jackson, a team that the Steelers have already beaten this season.

The team’s own health might be questionable (along with DK Metcalf serving the final game of his suspension), but that’s par for the course at this point in Pittsburgh. This team has the choice if they want to be a part of a title chase or a teardown, and we will find out their decision one way or another Sunday night.

Need to Know: Nobody Hits 23 Sacks On Us!

With Browns superstar Myles Garrett sitting one shy of the single-season sack record, many expected him to make history against Pittsburgh after failing to get home for a sack during their first meeting. Arthur Smith’s offense was hellbent on not giving him the chance. The Steelers kept Garrett away from Aaron Rodgers by any means necessary for the entirety of the game, arguably to the point where it impacted their ability to function normally.

Garrett’s ability to derail a game certainly warrants special treatment, but there were points where plays needed more time to develop, failing out of fear of being on the wrong side of history. Garrett even commented on Pittsburgh’s obsession with his coverage during his media availability and how it benefitted the rest of his defense. Fortunately, Baltimore doesn’t have anyone quite on his level on the defensive front, so Smith’s offense should be able to return to normal in the biggest game of the season.

Before You Go: A Brief Update On DK Metcalf

After receiving a two game suspension last Monday, DK Metcalf appealed his punishment immediately following the decision. After the verdict was upheld, the Lions fan who was involved in the altercation held a press conference on Friday, in which he denied using any slurs in his exchange with Metcalf. He reiterated his claim that his usage of Metcalf’s full name was the cause of the incident, and that he wanted to avoid hate online for being falsely labeled as a racist.

While further legal developments have yet to come, Pittsburgh’s front office did announce that they declined to activate the clause in Metcalf’s contract that would void $45 million due to the suspension. Metcalf will not play in Sunday’s game against Baltimore, but is eligible to return if the Steelers make the Playoffs.