The Pittsburgh Steelers won 11 games in a row at the start of the 2020 season and were looking like very legitimate contender to secure the number one seed. Even though they had had their warts, as all teams do, they seemed to be a unit able to make up the difference where and when it counted.
Then they hit the skids, beginning with a rather unconvincing one-score victory over a very depleted Baltimore Ravens team playing without something like a dozen players, including a large number of Pro Bowl starters, due to Covid-19.
While they won that game, it was the start of a trend of anemic offense and defensive breakdowns, leading to a three-game skid that not only made it next to impossible for them to get that playoff bye, but which even kept the AFC North in the running.