Friday the 13th usually brings the usual parade of bad-luck warnings - black cats, broken mirrors, the whole thing. In Pittsburgh, though, the Steelers have a different set of things to worry about.
At 6-2 and on a four-game winning streak, they’ve put themselves in a strong spot. Still, with a huge AFC North matchup against Cincinnati coming Sunday night, there’s plenty in their football world that can feel a little cursed.
Start with the postseason. The Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since Jan. 15, 2017, and seven straight postseason losses are enough to make anybody start looking for supernatural explanations.
The franchise has cycled through coaches, quarterbacks and coordinators, but the result has stayed the same. Now it’s up to Mike McCarthy to do what Mike Tomlin couldn’t: put those postseason demons to rest.
Someone might want to call an exorcist before January.
Then there’s Joe Burrow, who enters Sunday with 23 touchdown passes and at least four in four straight games. Pittsburgh beat Cincinnati earlier this season, but handing Burrow another shot at revenge is not exactly a comforting thought.
The Steelers also have some football-specific scares that don’t require any ghost stories. Third-and-long has been a problem, even in wins.
Against Cleveland, Pittsburgh went 4-for-11 on third downs despite winning comfortably, and those missed chances tend to matter more against better teams. The red zone has brought its own frustration, too.
Aaron Rodgers acknowledged missed opportunities near the goal line against Cleveland, and settling for field goals when touchdowns are there can turn into a dangerous habit against elite quarterbacks.
Injuries belong on the list as well. Michael Pittman Jr., Roman Wilson and Ben Skowronek have all missed time, though Skowronek appears ready to return and the team hopes to get Pittman and Wilson back soon.
Derrick Harmon has returned to practice but remains on injured reserve. With the schedule getting tougher, Pittsburgh needs bodies more than lucky charms.
And then there’s the stuff Steelers fans know all too well: the kind of lead that never feels safe, the yellow flag that kills a big moment, and the uneasy feeling that comes with asking Chris Boswell to carry too much of the load. Boswell has long been one of Pittsburgh’s most reliable weapons, but he’s having a herky-jerky 2026 season, and the Steelers don’t want to lean on him to rescue the offense every week. Even the Wizard of Boz can’t work miracles forever.
The rest of the calendar doesn’t do Pittsburgh any favors either. The second half brings Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Denver, Houston and two games against Baltimore. That’s a stretch that can tell you plenty about whether this team is for real.
Baltimore, of course, is its own kind of nightmare. The Ravens and Steelers have spent years turning their matchups into bruising survival tests, and with two meetings still left, Pittsburgh probably ought to keep some protective charms in the locker room - even with Lamar Jackson sidelined.
Philadelphia carries its own warning label. The Steelers visit Lincoln Financial Field on November 22, and they haven’t won a road game there since 1965.
That’s not just a drought. That’s an archaeological discovery.
Luck may already be on their side with the Eagles having their worst season in years and Jalen Hurts sidelined for the season, but the history is still ugly.
The bye week can be tricky, too. Pittsburgh went into it on a four-game win streak, and now it has to prove the momentum didn’t disappear while everyone was resting. The Bengals, meanwhile, bring a top-ranked offense and their own four-game winning streak into Sunday night.
And if there’s one number Steelers fans would rather not see, it’s seven. It’s supposed to point toward the franchise’s next Super Bowl title, but right now it means seven straight playoff losses. Until Pittsburgh wins another postseason game, that number will keep hanging over everything.
The good news is that Friday the 13th comes two days before the Steelers’ biggest game so far. They won’t need luck against Cincinnati. They’ll need execution, discipline, touchdowns and a defense that can slow Joe Burrow.
Still, if someone wants to hang a horseshoe above the locker-room entrance, it probably wouldn’t hurt.
In Other News...
Ravens-Steelers Video Revives Ugly Debate Over Fan Behavior In Front Of A Child
A video from a Steelers-Ravens clash in December 2021 has started making the rounds again, and it is the kind of clip that instantly pulls the conversation away from the field and into the stands. The footage shows a confrontation between a Steelers fan and a Ravens fan, with the Pittsburgh supporters son present as the exchange turned heated after a drink was thrown.
The scene quickly escalated enough for officers to step in and remove the Ravens fan from the venue, but the original spark for the dispute was never reported. Even years later, the clip has revived an ugly familiar debate about where rivalry ends and basic fan behavior begins, especially when a child is caught in the middle. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Face A Bengals Showdown That Could Shift Everything
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Cincinnati comes in with stronger postseason odds on paper, but a Steelers victory would tighten the race in a major way and leave the Bengals staring at a more complicated path forward. For Pittsburgh, the stakes are even simpler: win the game, grab the edge in the standings, and turn a crowded division chase into something that looks a lot more favorable heading into the stretch run. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Face One Problem That Could Cost Them The Bengals Sweep
The Steelers head into Week 10 with a chance to complete a season sweep of Cincinnati, but the matchup comes with the same warning label that followed them out of the first meeting. The Bengals passing game has been driven all season by JaMarr Chase and Tee Higgins, and Pittsburghs defense did not handle that duo well the last time these teams met, leaving the rematch heavily shaped by how the Steelers choose to respond on the back end.
One of the clearest adjustments could come in how Pittsburgh deploys its cornerbacks, with Daylen Everette a candidate to see the field sooner if the Steelers want a different answer on the outside. Just as important will be the pass rush, because forcing Joe Burrow off his spot is one of the few ways to keep Cincinnati from leaning on its top receivers and turning a divisional game into another track meet. [Read more 🡒]