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The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off a bye in Week 7, and after defeating the Los Angeles Chargers on the road in Week 6 on Sunday Night Football you would think the fan base would still be riding high.
Wrong.
Despite the team not even playing last week, the SB Nation FanPulse survey shows the Steelers are actually down on their team heading into a Week 8 game vs. the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football.
The latest FanPulse results certainly paint a pretty accurate photo of how fans truly feel:
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When it comes to the data, after the Week 6 win the confidence soared to a 51% approval rating, but then dipped to 41% after the bye.
So, what would cause this to happen? The only logical reason I can fathom is the fact the Steelers saw their division hopes take a huge hit when the Baltimore Ravens improved to 5-2 on the season after going to Seattle and beating the Seahawks handily. Not that the AFC North is all but settled, but the 2-4 Steelers face a severe uphill climb, and will need help if they want to make the playoffs via a division championship.
One thing many fans might be forgetting is how the Steelers seem to be getting healthy at just the right time. Mason Rudolph will be back under center vs. the Dolphins and players like James Washington, Vance McDonald, Steven Nelson and others are prepared to rejoin their team after missing some, if not all, of the game in Week 6.
A win against a winless Dolphins team will unlikely move the confidence needle very much, but when the team is 2-4 you have to take every win you can get — no matter what. This Week 8 game has the recipe of a win for the Steelers. Home on Monday night, where they haven’t lost since the 90’s, wearing their color rush uniforms and coming off a bye week.
Let’s hope all those trends hold true and the Steelers advance to 3-4 after the completion of the first if three straight games at Heinz Field.
Do you want to be a part of the BTSC Steelers FanPulse? It is easy to sign up for, and takes mere minutes a week. Simply click HERE and fill out the appropriate information!