It’s probably the impending sense that no NFL team can go unbeaten.
After all, if the locomotive that was the 2007 New England Patriots (18-1) couldn’t finish the job in the Super Bowl, maybe it can’t be done.
Perhaps it’s a lack of faith in the level of competition faced of late. Maybe a fear of some pending opponents. Or of the Steelers’ own roster.
But it sure doesn’t seem like the national media is generating too much “undefeated season” hype for the 2020 Pittsburgh Steelers. Even though their win Sunday over the Jacksonville Jaguars got them to 10-0.
I bet that changes if the Steelers win Thursday over the Baltimore Ravens. You’ll start hearing 1972 Miami Dolphins references multiple times per day from the network talking heads and reading references to 16-0 all over national websites.
Mark Madden of 105.9 The X agreed with that assessment in this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast.
“People aren’t buzzing about their record like they probably should,” Madden said. “I think that happens if they beat Baltimore on Thanksgiving and get to 11-0. But they just don’t look the part of a juggernaut. They have the record to be sure. But they aren’t a highlight reel team. They aren’t a fantasy stats team. They are a team that just wins. And in today’s football hype machine, that’s not enough to get the recognition 10-0 normally would.”
I think that carries over to the interpretation of Ben Roethlisberger’s season, too. The Steelers quarterback should be gathering both MVP and NFL Comeback Player of the Year buzz. But he appears to be on the periphery of both conversations.
“He’s not a huge stats guy,” Madden said. “I just think that the national media made up their minds a long time ago that they don’t like Ben Roethlisberger. He should be way ahead of (Kyler) Murray (Arizona Cardinals) and (Russell) Wilson (Seattle Seahawks) in the MVP talk and trailing only Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs).”
Madden and I get in depth on both of those topics. We also investigate the Steelers turnover-reliant defense, Sunday’s win over the Jaguars and the continuing fluctuation of the running game.
Plus, we delve into what may happen with the NHL, Liverpool soccer, blues music and how Cole Tucker may have captured the heart of Hollywood star Vanessa Hudgens.
