Why Simmons sees Steelers as AFC’s best team heading into vicious 11-day stretch

Asked a week ago whether he’d watch the premiere of Hard Knocks: In Season with the AFC North, Mike Tomlin said, “Absolutely not.” Apparently, he was a little tied up. But down the road when he’s posing for his Hall of Fame bust, Tomlin may want to pull up an old YouTube link to the 2024 series because the final four games on the Steelers’ schedule are appointment-television level.

And right now, Bill Simmons said on Monday’s edition of the Bill Simmons Podcast, Pittsburgh is the best team in the AFC.

“I feel the safest about them, if you start nitpicking all these AFC teams,” Simmons said. “I feel the most comfortable with Pittsburgh. Great defense. I think their defense can make plays, create turnovers, create pressure, they can cover. I just like them. They can run the ball. They always seem to get like two or three 30- to 40-yard plays per game, or a pass interference or something. They have unbelievable special teams; they have the best field-goal kicker in the conference. They’re going to have home-field advantage for at least the first two rounds. And they have an awesome coach.”

That coach, who incredibly has never won Coach of the Year, is approaching a grueling three-game stretch. Not only do the Steelers (10-3) face the Eagles (11-2), a rematch with the Ravens (8-5) and a Christmas Day home showdown with the Chiefs (12-1), Pittsburgh also has to play those three games in only 11 days.

No team has had to play three games over an 11-day stretch in any of the five previous NFL seasons. Pittsburgh starts that terrible trio across the Keystone State on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field (4:25 p.m. ET, FOX), where Tomlin is 0-3. Riding a 10-game losing streak in Philadelphia, the Steelers haven’t won in the city since Lyndon Johnson was president in 1965.

Following Sunday, Pittsburgh turns around to play the Ravens on Saturday, Dec. 21, before finishing with a visit to Arrowhead Stadium on Wednesday, Dec. 25. Tomlin said Tuesday he’s focused on Philadelphia and doesn’t care what’s on the other side of the Eagles. Asked whether he has to balance practice reps, he said he’s more worried about Saquon Barkley.

“It may affect it on the other side of Philadelphia but I have a seven-day cycle this week, so I’m not going to make the simple complex. We’ve got a task this week, we’ve got a job to do, we’ve got a finite amount of time and materials and talent and manpower, as do they. And so, with that in mind, we’re going to prepare and focus our energies on winning this game.

“There’s so many variables that could affect the preparation process on the other side of this game, the attrition component and so forth, that it’s fruitless and almost a waste of time to get beyond the template component. Certainly, I have a calendar and a template but that does not have my time or attention. The Philadelphia Eagles do.”

Pittsburgh is 6-1 since Tomlin replaced Justin Fields with Russell Wilson in Week 7. Since that decision, the Steelers rank sixth in the NFL with 28.4 points scored per game.

For more information on the Steelers and Eagles, visit the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia team pages at ProFootballPost.com.