Last year, the Pittsburgh Steelers had a very disappointing end to the season. After starting 10-3, they finished the year 10-7 and lost their final four games. Losing wasn’t their only problem either. They looked completely inconsistent, but they didn’t resemble most of the teams of the year. Part of that may have been due to their brutal schedules. On the stretch, the Steelers had to play three games in 11 days. Keene Benton recently spoke about how the experience is crazy.
“It was crazy,” Benton said recently. Radio station 92.7 FM WCLO. “I’ve never experienced anything like that. It’s not like basketball. You play back to back in a row and it’s fine. You’re just adjusting your week , I’ll try to adjust your week so that you can put it all there on Gameday.”
It’s not surprising to hear how different the experience is. When the 2024 schedule was released, it was one of the biggest issues Steelers fans had. It was hardly safe to force players to fit three games over the course of 11 days. However, the Steelers had to play with the cards they were dealt.
Unfortunately, the stretch marked the beginning of the Steelers’ end. It started with the Philadelphia Eagles in week 15. The Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl. The Steelers were crushed in that game, and then things didn’t get much better.
Their next game was faced with the Baltimore Ravens less than a week later. The Steelers defeated the Ravens in their first matchup, but they were short on the rematch. Again, the game wasn’t particularly close.
Their final contest in that gauntlet was not easy. Just a few days after losing to the Ravens, the Steelers had to stand up to the Kansas City chief. In the other two games, the Steelers appeared to be competitive once or twice, but that wasn’t the case against the Chiefs. It felt like the game was over by the end of the first quarter.
It felt like the Steelers hadn’t recovered from that series of games. But that doesn’t mean that it should be used as an excuse. Raven was in the same situation and won all three games. Certainly, they played some weak teams, but they still didn’t allow for a lack of rest to hinder them.
The reality of the situation is that soccer is a very physical game. The Steelers looked worn down after that stretch. They were put in a rough situation and were unable to overcome the adversity. Their schedule wasn’t the only reason they fell apart, but that didn’t help. Maybe 2025 is more advantageous for them. If not, then at least there is an increase in experience with such condensed schedules.
