Less than a week ago, things were looking up for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The firing of offensive coordinator Matt Canada gave outsiders a jolt of confidence of better days to come. They were still 7-4 and well-positioned to make the postseason. It was in their control to win the division, even, and maybe even earn a high seed.
The feeling is very different this Friday after they dropped two games at home to teams who had only won a combined four games on the season. The Arizona Cardinals and then the New England Patriots both put it to them, the latter jumping out early, the former pulling away late.