🏈🏈🏈🏈
Pittsburgh Steelers (6-5-1) at Minnesota Vikings (5-7)
Two teams really struggling to try and stay in the playoff picture of their respective conferences.
This is yet another game that feels a little difficult to forecast. Both teams have struggled lately, making a pick for either one not altogether comfortable. Yet both teams also have shown glimpses of brilliance, almost. The Steelers just snapped a three game winless streak that seemed to threaten their viability as a legitimate playoff contender by just edging out the division leading Ravens, which is impressive. Meanwhile, the Vikings have themselves been on a down turn, and just suffered the humiliation of giving the Lions their first – and so far only – win of the season. Then again, the only other game that the Lions did not lose this seasons was against the Steelers, and that was at Pittsburgh.
Overall, Minnesota has dropped their last two games. However, this was the team that also beat the Packers in a shootout just a little more than two weeks ago, and that was one week after beating the Chargers in Los Angeles. So the Vikings are a team capable of beating some decent, playoff-caliber teams.
The question, then, is how will they respond to having lost to the Lions? Will they come out fired up, wanting to show that the loss was a fluke, and that they are indeed serious contenders to make the playoffs, or will they come out flat and dispirited, looking disheveled and like a team with problems in the middle of a season that is fast unraveling?
Of course, the Steelers are a question mark, as well. Sure, they beat the Ravens, but Baltimore has looked shaky and ready to lose for a while now. But the win is something impressive, considering it was their answer to having gotten absolutely blasted in Cincinnati the week before, and had lost to the Chargers before that, and had that tie against the Lions in the game before that.
Yet, the Steelers themselves have also looked impressive at times this season. They nevertheless did beat the likely playoff bound Ravens last weekend, and beat the Browns in Cleveland, and stunned the Bills in Buffalo on opening day. With a winning record once again, they may just have given themselves a new lease on life, and a chance to make a serious playoff push.
This game is very important for both teams, ultimately. Neither team can really afford to give up more ground. Both teams are on the outside of the playoff picture, looking in. The Vikings lost a big game at San Francisco, and now trail the 49ers for that final playoff spot. So they have to hope that the Niners lose at least a couple, and that they themselves keep winning to move ahead of San Fran outright, since they obviously would lose the tiebreak if it comes down to that. Meanwhile, the Steelers may have a winning record, but they are still third within their own division, although it is a tight race. They also are only half a game behind the Bills for that final playoff spot, and remember, they own the tiebreak against the Bills if it comes to it, since they won up in Buffalo to start the season.
A very difficult game to project, because it is only too easy to see scenarios where either team comes up with the goods, or conversely, is disappointed and falls short.
Since I have to make a pick, I will say that the hometown team will feel that they have something to prove after the embarrassment last week. That, plus home field advantage, should push them just over the hump in this one.
My pick: Minnesota
No comments:
Post a Comment