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Will the Steelers Remain Undefeated Through the 2020 Season?

The NFL’s 2020 regular season has brought the sports fan many unexpected twists and turns. The Pittsburgh Steelers have been a pleasant surprise for their massive fan base as they are the last unbeaten team left in the NFL.

The Steelers perfect 8-0 record is not by accident but they definitely have had some luck. Five out of the eight games the Steelers have played have ended in one-score games. In the NFL, where anybody can win on any given Sunday (other than the Jets), the impressive Steelers have found ways to win every chance they got this year.

Mike Tomlin and the Steelers are halfway to 16-0.Will the Steelers go 16-0? We break it down in our Steelers betting analysis
Joe Sargent / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA

The real question for sports bettors right now is, “can the Steelers finish the regular season with a perfect 16-0 record? Can they go 19-0 and win Super Bowl LV?”

Here is a look at the latest Super Bowl Odds

Keep following along with all the latest NFL news this NFL betting season as Pittsburgh continues its pursuit of perfection. If you really want to amplify your Steelers viewing experience go to the favorite sportsbook and place your bet on the Pittsburgh Steelers Special.

First let me tell you what I think about the chances that the Steelers can be only the second team in 52 years to go a perfect 16-0.

NFL’s History of Perfection

The NFL expanded its regular season to 16 games in 1978, and since then, the only team to finish the regular season with a 16-0 record is the 2007 New England Patriots. The Patriots were nearly 19-0 with a Super Bowl victory until Eli Manning performed some crazy-magic to lead his Giants to a 17-14 victory to capture Super Bowl XLII.

Prior to the nearly perfect season Tom Brady & Co. put together there was the 1972 Miami Dolphins, who finished the season a perfect 17-0. The ‘72 Dolphins were led by head coach Don Shula, and my hometown hero, RB Larry Csonka. The perfect ‘Fins finished the regular season 14-0 and went on to win Super Bowl VII 14-7 over Washington.

Way before either of those teams did it there were two seasons that the Chicago Bears went undefeated in the regular season. The Bears were 13-0-0 in 1934 and 11-0-0 in 1942. Both of the Bears’ perfect campaigns ended by losing in the NFL Championship Game.

There have been six teams in the Super Bowl era to go 15-1. The last team to accomplish this feat was the 2015 Carolina Panthers led by Cam Newton. In 2004 the Steelers went 15-1 when rookie QB Ben Rothlisberger was inserted into the lineup after a Week 2 loss to the Ravens.

Steelers’ Path to Perfection.

The Steelers still have eight games to win if they want to become the second team in the 16-game season era to finish the regular season with a perfect record. Four of Pittsburgh’s remaining games are against teams with a winning record. Let’s assume the Steelers can take care of the four teams with losing records (Jaguars, Washington, and the Bengals twice), and let’s focus on the four teams with the best chances to beat the Steelers.

Week 12 vs (6-2) Ravens

Week 12 is the Steelers’ toughest matchup left in the regular season. The Ravens will be hungry for revenge and will need to win this game if they want a chance to capture a division title this year. According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, the Steelers have a 47% chance to win this game on Thanksgiving Day on Thursday Night Football.

The Steelers have already beaten the Ravens 28-24 in Baltimore. The Steelers were outgained in the Week 7 game 457 to 221 in total yards. The Ravens did enough to beat the Steelers, but Lamar Jackson’s four turnovers were too much for the Ravens to overcome.

Ravens’ QB Lamar Jackson has not been his dominant self in his two career starts against the Steelers. He has thrown five INTs and only three TDs while losing two fumbles. His QBR is a super low 60.4 in his two games against the Steelers. The Steeler’ dominant defense has found ways to get after Jackson and to get him to commit uncharacteristic turnovers.

The Steelers proved once that they can beat the Ravens which means they can do it again. It will be interesting to see what happens if Jackson takes care of the ball and makes the Steelers’ offense beat his defense all game.

Week 14 at (7-2) Bills

Two weeks after the big matchup with the Ravens, the Steelers have to travel to Buffalo to take on a strong Bills team. According to ESPN’s Football Power Index the Steelers have a 54.9% chance to win this game on Dec. 13. This game will be on prime-time TV as the game will air on Sunday Night Football.

One of the Bills’ two losses came at the hands of the Titans in Week 5, when the Titans spanked them 42-16. A week later the Steelers narrowly beat the Titans 27-24 in a game that had the last unbeaten teams face-off.

Bills’ QB Josh Allen has been playing fantastic football. He will be a tough matchup for the Steelers’ elite defense. The Bills’ defense is getting better as the season goes on which could mean trouble for the Steelers in Buffalo.

Week 16 vs (5-3) Colts

The Colts come to Pittsburgh two days after Christmas on Dec 27. ET time. Pittsburgh in December is a cold-tough place to play. Philip Rivers and the Colts will have their hands full with the Steelers’ elite defense and the elements of Heinz Field. According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, the Steelers have a 64.3% chance to win this game.

In Week 5 the Colts lost on the road to the Cleveland Browns 32-23. A week later the Steelers showed they were still in a different tier than the lowly Browns when they dominated their division rivals, 38-7.

If Ben Rothlisberger can stay healthy until Week 16 the Steelers should have an edge over the Colts. Both the Colts and Steelers defenses sit atop the NFL’s defensive ratings, but the Colts do not seem to have enough offensively for them to keep up with this Steelers team.

Week 17 at (5-3) Browns

Just imagine the Steelers enter Week 17 undefeated and the Chiefs have two losses. The Steelers would have no incentive to play their starters against the Browns — other than completing one of the greatest regular seasons of all time.

Now, imagine the Browns need to win this game to secure their first playoff berth since 2002, ending the longest active streak in the NFL. Would the Steelers sit their players and let their most-hated rivals walk over them and into the playoffs? Something tells me Coach MIke Tomlin would want to win this game but would sit Rothlisberger for the playoffs.

Pittsburgh Steelers Specials Betting Advice

The Steelers are currently receiving +800 odds to go 16-0 on our BetUs sportsbook. It seems very plausible that this could happen. The Steelers’ biggest threat to the perfect season is the Ravens and Bills, who both will be throwing their best punches to take down the top-ranked AFC team.

The Steelers have all the tools they need to win every week as they have shown with their 74 net points through eight games that is only behind the Ravens and Chiefs. The health of Big Ben is a big concern for me, but the odds are right to play this one. 

Also — Coach Mike Tomlin deserves the 2020 Coach of the Year. Bet on it!

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