Mark Madden: Game at Buffalo will show what the Steelers are made of — one way, or the other

Sunday night’s game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo is the Credibility Bowl.

The winner gets perceived to be in the AFC’s upper echelon with Kansas City. The loser is back in the pack.

If the Steelers felt disrespected when many said they weren’t as good as their record, this is where they draw a line in the sand.

I was one of those skeptics, and I still am.

Despite being 11-0 (and 10-0, and 9-0, etc.), the Steelers never have had the look or vibe of a juggernaut. They were undefeated but unimpressive. Winning is what matters, but the Steelers struggled to beat bad teams and almost never put together 60 minutes.

Anyway, 11-1 doesn’t matter. It’s what you are right now.

Right now, the Steelers are bad. They’ve played poorly in three of their last four games. Washington is the one that put the one in 11-1. But the Steelers arguably looked even worse beating Baltimore’s JV and nearly lost to Dallas’ fourth-string quarterback.

The Steelers have collapsed in each of the previous two Decembers. The roster is largely the same, so there’s doubtless a familiar taste in their mouths (or throats).

The Steelers can’t miss the playoffs. But if they blow the AFC North title or lose their first playoff game, those 11 straight wins won’t matter. The Steelers will have been frauds.

What’s wrong with the Steelers? Heck, right now, what isn’t?

The coach preaches not living in your fears. But he often does exactly that when the situation screams for a field-goal try.

The offense won’t run nor throw deep. It plays on a 10-yard field.

The receivers lead the league in drops. It’s no stretch to say their seven drops lost the game against Washington. But that’s OK. They’re having fun, and living their best lives. TikTok and Twitter: It’s the new professionalism. Not much to dance about Monday.

It’s hard to tell if the offensive line can run block, because it rarely is asked to. It is much more often in a two-point stance: Against Washington, the Steelers ran 87% of their plays out of the shotgun. The offense doesn’t punch opponents in the mouth anymore. That was proven five straight times at Washington’s 1.

The defense has the excuse of several significant injuries. They should be told it’s OK to not use those. Washington scored on its last three possessions, and it wasn’t difficult.

That’s just big-picture. Drilling deeper begs discussion of the $10 million fullback who never plays, or his brother making two costly errors vs. Washington despite otherwise excelling.

The Steelers are a stink sandwich.

If they take another bite at Buffalo, December might again be their cruelest month.

The Steelers and Buffalo seem headed in opposite directions. The Bills have won five of six. They have a young quarterback who might be the new version of Pittsburgh’s.

The Steelers defense will be short-handed. The offense may return a few components conducive to running more, but it probably won’t run more.

But the most needed element has nothing to do with personnel. It’s pride.

Perhaps rattled by the Baltimore game being rescheduled three times and the Washington game moved back a day as a result, the Steelers looked an unfocused mess in those contests. They had bad body language and the boo-boo face. Their physical presence was minimal. They made many mistakes. Good quickly became bad. Bad quickly became worse.

On Sunday night, the Steelers play a quality foe on the road in potentially bleak weather. Their chance at the AFC bye is on the line, maybe even their division title.

On Sunday night, the Steelers will show what they’re made of — one way, or the other.