# The 10th Annual Steelers March to the Super Bowl Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [September 5, 2012, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-10th-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/633773 "2012-09-05T18:23:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![HongKongFooey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c4cdca/32.png) [@HongKongFooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HongKongFooey)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-10th-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/633773/241 "2012-12-12T12:06:34Z")
Pounces will be back at Center this week. They moved him because Legursky can fill in at C but not at G where he just gets blown up or pushed into the QB every play. ---
**Author:** ![piepiepie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47774/32.png) [@piepiepie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/piepiepie)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2012, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-10th-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/633773/242 "2012-12-16T20:05:31Z")
Good luck to the rest of the north fans. The Ravens are done. ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2012, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-10th-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/633773/243 "2012-12-17T00:51:56Z")
So the Bengals are in a much better position than they were yesterday. Looks like nobody’s really interested in winning this division. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2012, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-10th-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/633773/244 "2012-12-17T00:53:59Z")
> [@Enginerd](#): > > Looks like nobody’s really interested in winning this division. Apparently not the Steelers. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2012, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-10th-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/633773/245 "2012-12-17T01:03:31Z")
Gaaaaaahhh! ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2012, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-10th-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/633773/246 "2012-12-17T03:41:32Z")
> [@Enginerd](#): > > So the Bengals are in a much better position than they were yesterday. Looks like nobody’s really interested in winning this division. I am certain the Bengals are interested. They are on the cusp of being a good team. They haven’t quite learned how to close out games all the way yet. I think next Sunday’s game will be epic. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2012, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-10th-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/633773/247 "2012-12-17T05:41:24Z")
While today was a heartbreaking loss, was the game essentially meaningless. If we win our last 2 games, we’re still in the playoffs, correct? ---
**Author:** ![HongKongFooey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c4cdca/32.png) [@HongKongFooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HongKongFooey)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2012, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-10th-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/633773/248 "2012-12-17T08:25:13Z")
That’s correct. They could still win the division in fact, not likely but they could. Next week will be a good one! ---
**Author:** ![Mince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Mince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mince)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2012, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-10th-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/633773/249 "2012-12-17T11:35:41Z")
> [@HongKongFooey](#): > > They could still win the division in fact, not likely but they could. Pittsburgh cannot win the division. [NFL tiebreaking procedures](http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?page=tiebreakers) > [@](#): > > TO BREAK A TIE WITHIN A DIVISION > If, at the end of the regular season, two or more clubs in the same division finish with identical won-lost-tied percentages, the following steps will be taken until a champion is determined. > > Two Clubs > > 1. Head-to-head (best won-lost-tied percentage in games between the clubs). > 2. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the division. > 3. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games. > 4. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference. > 5. Strength of victory. > 6. Strength of schedule. > 7. Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed. > 8. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed. > 9. Best net points in common games. > 10. Best net points in all games. > 11. Best net touchdowns in all games. If Pittsburgh goes 2-0 and Baltimore goes 0-2: 1. Head-to-head: tie 2. Division record: tie 3. Common games (AFC North, AFC West, NFC East): tie each team would be 8-6 against those common opponents. 4. Conference games: Baltimore 8-4, Pittsburgh 6-6 Baltimore would win based on the better conference record. Cincinnati tying both clubs can’t complicate things because they lose to Baltimore via division record and Pittsburgh via head-to-head. ---
**Author:** ![HongKongFooey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c4cdca/32.png) [@HongKongFooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HongKongFooey)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2012, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-10th-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/633773/250 "2012-12-17T13:42:55Z")
Pittsburgh wins the division in a three-way tie. ---
**Author:** ![Mince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Mince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mince)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2012, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-10th-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/633773/251 "2012-12-17T14:02:07Z")
> [@HongKongFooey](#): > > Pittsburgh wins the division in a three-way tie. I see now. They would give it to Pittsburgh based on their 3-1 record vs. Bal/Cin. I thought Cincinnati wouldn’t be a factor since they held no primary tie-breaking advantage over either club. I thought the 3-team tiebreaker only applied in an A\>B\>C\>A scenario. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2012, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-10th-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/633773/252 "2012-12-17T14:04:35Z")
C’mon with these implausible scenarios! We all know the Bengals are going to win out and take the division! 🙂 Which actually would be a blessing, because as a wild card, they’d likely be playing New England or Denver on the road as opposed to hosting Indy at home. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2012, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-10th-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/633773/253 "2012-12-17T15:56:33Z")
> [@Mince](#): > > I see now. They would give it to Pittsburgh based on their 3-1 record vs. Bal/Cin. I thought Cincinnati wouldn’t be a factor since they held no primary tie-breaking advantage over either club. I thought the 3-team tiebreaker only applied in an A\>B\>C\>A scenario. > **[NFL.com | Official Site of the National Football League](https://www.nfl.com/standings/tie-breaking-procedures)** > > The official source for NFL news, video highlights, fantasy football, game-day coverage, schedules, stats, scores and more. Correct. Check out the three-way tie in a division procedure. Step #1 is head to head results. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2012, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-10th-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/633773/254 "2012-12-17T22:16:38Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > C’mon with these implausible scenarios! We all know the Bengals are going to win out and take the division! > > 🙂 > > Which actually would be a blessing, because as a wild card, they’d likely be playing New England or Denver on the road as opposed to hosting Indy at home. The game this week is now essentially an elimination game, thanks to Antonio Brown having one of the worst quarters any player has ever had. First, the fumble. All he had to do was hold onto the ball and the game was all but over. But nooooo, Dallas scores on his buffoonery. Then he stands way too far back for the later punt, so rather than getting the ball on the 50 with an excellent shot at a game winner they get it on the 20. Then, to make matters worse, he runs out of bounds on 3rd down short of a first, giving Dallas a shot to win. Had he not become a drooling moron the overtime never happens. But it did, so now it’s down to this. Terrific. If Pittsburgh wins this weekend, the Browns can eliminate them on a Steelers loss and Bengals win. If the Steelers lose this weekend they’re probably finished. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2012, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-10th-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/633773/255 "2012-12-17T22:57:12Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > The game this week is now essentially an elimination game, thanks to Antonio Brown having one of the worst quarters any player has ever had. First, the fumble. All he had to do was hold onto the ball and the game was all but over. But nooooo, Dallas scores on his buffoonery. Then he stands way too far back for the later punt, so rather than getting the ball on the 50 with an excellent shot at a game winner they get it on the 20. Then, to make matters worse, he runs out of bounds on 3rd down short of a first, giving Dallas a shot to win. Had he not become a drooling moron the overtime never happens. But it did, so now it’s down to this. Terrific. > > If Pittsburgh wins this weekend, the Browns can eliminate them on a Steelers loss and Bengals win. If the Steelers lose this weekend they’re probably finished. Cincy should have beaten Dallas too, but for a number of dropped TD passes and INT’s…as well as stupidly burning all of their second half timeouts early, having 10 minutes left in the game with a nine point lead and not running the ball EVEN ONCE…despite the fact that BGE had been gashing the Cowpokes for almost 7 yards a carry the entire game. I still can’t understand why the coaching staff allowed that to happen. Anyway, yeah, it’s put up or shut up time for both teams. I have to be honest: none of the three teams looks all that great. Not being a homer here but I think Cincinnati looks the best out of all three of them in terms of how they are playing _right now_, as well as being by far the healthiest team of the three. But it’s December, it’s Pittsburgh and shit happens. If the Bengals want to consider themselves as one of the better teams in the NFL, then it’s time to stop being shrinking violets on the big stage and take down a decent team. ---
**Author:** ![HongKongFooey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c4cdca/32.png) [@HongKongFooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HongKongFooey)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2012, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-10th-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/633773/256 "2012-12-17T23:32:30Z")
> [@Mince](#): > > I see now. They would give it to Pittsburgh based on their 3-1 record vs. Bal/Cin. I thought Cincinnati wouldn’t be a factor since they held no primary tie-breaking advantage over either club. I thought the 3-team tiebreaker only applied in an A\>B\>C\>A scenario. I thought too until I saw it explained in a blog. Life’s too short to study the tiebreak rules ahead of time! 😛 Sadly I think this team is limited by the defensive line. We already have two first-round picks underperforming, maybe free agency is the route to go this year. Not that the close losses are on the defense but it’s noticeably affecting the LBs and DBs. Hopefully the O-line will look better when Adams comes back; the running game is an embarrassment (again). ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2012, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-10th-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/633773/257 "2012-12-18T00:36:46Z")
If the Cincinnati defensive front cannot generate pressure on/harass/sack Ben repeatedly in this game the Bengals will not win. Ben for all his raping has the magical ability to shed would-be tacklers and lumber around just enough to keep plays alive. He’s good but I hate that guy! Such a meathead. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![HongKongFooey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c4cdca/32.png) [@HongKongFooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HongKongFooey)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2012, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-10th-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/633773/258 "2012-12-18T01:14:07Z")
Yeah, I think you nailed it! ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2012, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-10th-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/633773/259 "2012-12-18T01:54:52Z")
I see an early line of Pittsburgh by 4 (same line the Pats had for SF). ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2012, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-10th-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/633773/260 "2012-12-23T01:16:40Z")
This game should be epic. The media is talking it up as the game of the week. I hope the Bengalis show up. With the injuries the Stealers have in the secondary, along with Troy not really being his old self anymore, if AJ Green doesn’t play with a chip on his shoulder and have a huge day, I will be sorely disappointed. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-10th-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/633773.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-10th-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/633773.md?page=14)