The Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2) are coming out of the bye with a game in Los Angeles against the Rams, then home games versus Jacksonville, Tennessee, and Green Bay.
Not exactly daunting stuff. The combined record of those teams is 11-12.
Yet given the offensive struggles of the team over the first five games of the season, it doesn’t exactly feel like the Steelers are on the verge of their usual October-November outburst that they so often enjoy.
That’s certainly the opinion of Mark Madden during this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast.
“I think they could lose every game and win every game. But they won’t win every game. Does that make sense?” Madden asked. “They might lose every game, but they won’t win every game. They probably will go 2-2 in that stretch. But where does that get them? You guys out there with your fire Matt Canada chants, and your delusions of grandeur, and your overestimation of (quarterback Kenny) Pickett, your overestimation of (head coach Mike) Tomlin — you’ll get to 9-8 soon enough. Just shut up and wait for it.”
If that 2-2 forecast of the next month from Madden turns out to be true, the Steelers will be at 5-4 with games at Cleveland and Cincinnati looming next, with contests against the Bengals and Baltimore still to come in the AFC North later in the season.
That puts a lot of weight on what the Steelers do after Thanksgiving. And Madden says he has no faith in Tomlin figuring things out during that spell.
“Mike Tomlin is an absolute fraud. He has been for over a decade. And when he leaves as coach of the Steelers, whenever that is, the whole world will agree with me,” Madden said.
Related:
• Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Kirk Cousins trade speculation an absurd proposition for Steelers
• Mark Madden: Fans may want to ‘Fire Canada,’ but blame should be placed with his boss
Meanwhile, on the hockey front, things are off to a decent start for the Penguins. While they weren’t good enough in a 4-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on opening night, they did win in Washington 4-0 on Friday and 5-2 over the Calgary Flames on Saturday to begin the season 2-1.
“The only disappointing thing so far? No production at all from the bottom six,” Madden said. “I’m a bit surprised that either (Erik) Karlsson or Kris Letang hasn’t scored a goal yet. But goals by defensemen are kind of — I don’t want to say random — but they depend a lot on situation. And a little bit of luck is involved there too.”
Also in the podcast, Madden and I talk about how he feels the goaltending has been, how the power play has performed, what else to expect from some early trends in the NHL, Pitt’s win Saturday, and Sunday’s Eagles concert at PPG Paints Arena.
