Pittsburgh Steelers Play Their Way Back Into Primetime

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Nov. 20 was originally supposed to be part of NBC’s Sunday Night Football package.

However, after the Steelers got off to a 2-6 start, NBC decided to take advantage of the flex scheduling option as part of its deal with the NFL. Thus, NBC booted Steelers-Bengals to late Sunday afternoon and instead showed the Kansas City Chiefs-Los Angeles Chargers game in primetime.

A sure sign of how far the Steelers have progressed since midseason came on Christmas night. NBC announced that this Sunday’s early-afternoon game between the Steelers and Ravens in Baltimore will be moved to primetime, replacing the battle of Los Angeles between the Chargers and Rams.

The Steelers have won five of their last seven games to move to at least the fringe of playoff contention. Their 7-8 record may not be imposing but it is worthy of a national television broadcast.

“When I got the call the other night that the game was flexed, I didn’t hate that. I loved that,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday during his weekly news conference. “If your games are not getting flexed this time of year, you’re not doing it right. You’re not in significant ones. We don’t run from that. We run to that.

“Although we do respect their environment and the hostility of that environment on Sunday Night Football, we’re not going to hate the fact that we’re there. We’re going to embrace that and smile in the face of the adversity those variables create.”

The Steelers so indeed face a stern test by traveling to Baltimore to play their bitter AFC North rival. The Ravens are 10-4 and one game behind the first-place Bengals (11-3) in the division standings with two games to play.

NBC’s decision to flex the game is every bit about the Ravens playing in primetime as it is about the Steelers. In fact, the Steelers could be eliminated from the postseason picture by the time the game kicks off at 8:20 p.m. ET.

The Steelers must not only win their last two games to reach the playoffs, but the Miami Dolphins must lose their last two games and the New York Jets go at least 1-1.

The Dolphins will visit the New England Patriots at 1 p.m. ET Sunday in Foxborough. While the Steelers will obviously monitor the game, Tomlin said he will not obsess about the result.

“We’re going to focus on the things within our control,” he said. “That’s our preparation and what we did in the stadium on Sunday night. We acknowledge all of those scenarios and that those things exist, but all of those scenarios and things have existed since Sept. 11, since we started the season.

“Every time you step on the field, there’s high urgency. There are 17 opportunities to state a case for yourself. We have lived in that urgency. We understand it. So, we’re not going to waste any time talking about it. We didn’t waste any time talking about it in September. We’re going to stay focused on preparing and then ultimately playing this game.”