Pittsburgh Review

Turnovers, especially in recovering fumbles, present a challenge in football due to the unpredictable nature of the oblong ball. The Pittsburgh Steelers have experienced this unpredictability firsthand. They are tied for the NFL lead with 20 forced fumbles this season but have struggled to capitalize on these opportunities.

In their recent 29-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Mark Robinson forced a fumble during a punt return, but it was recovered by the Chiefs. This mirrored their previous game against the Baltimore Ravens, where they forced two fumbles but failed to recover either. Head coach Mike Tomlin commented on this issue: "We're not being opportunistic on the defense or on our special teams side when given an opportunity."

The Steelers entered Week 17 with a plus-17 turnover margin, second only to the Buffalo Bills at plus-20. However, after failing to secure any turnovers against the Chiefs and turning over twice themselves, their margin has decreased to plus-15.

Tomlin noted that their recent performance does not align with their usual standards: "We have regressed in terms of our turnover culture." Despite having a strong overall turnover margin and winning record (10-6), they are currently on a three-game losing streak.

Looking ahead, they will face the Cincinnati Bengals next weekend. A win would bring them to 11 victories for the season—an achievement reached by only seven Steelers teams since 2000.

Historically, teams like the Rams in 2021 and Ravens in 2012 have rebounded from similar losing streaks to achieve postseason success. Quarterback Russell Wilson emphasized maintaining focus: "There's highs and lows in every season...we've got to make sure that we end this last game on the right footing."

Despite playing three games in 11 days alongside other teams like Kansas City and Baltimore who faced similar schedules, linebacker Alex Highsmith stated there were no excuses: "They had a short week just like us."

The Christmas Day NFL games attracted significant viewership despite occurring mid-week. The Steelers' game against Kansas City averaged 24.1 million viewers while Houston's match with Baltimore drew 24.3 million viewers according to Nielsen ratings.

This marked Netflix's first year broadcasting NFL games under its three-year deal; next year's Christmas falls on Thursday—a regular day for NFL games—potentially easing scheduling challenges seen this year.