When Ben Roethlisberger was given a 6 game suspension for a rape trial that didn’t go to court (overkill much?) no one really gave the Steelers much of a chance. Even when that suspension was kindly cut to 4 games (still overkill) by Roger Goodell, no one gave them a chance at their 7^th Super Bowl. However, when they started out 3-0 without Ben Roethlisberger, people started jumping back on this team.

It wasn’t just 3-0, it was an incredibly impressive 3-0. The 3 teams they beat were a combined 6-0 in their other 6 games. They beat the Falcons, the Titans, and the Buccaneers.

Matt Ryan of the Falcons was 27-44 for 252 yards, no touchdowns and a pick against the Steelers, and a combined 40-62 for 453 yards, 5 touchdowns and no picks in the other 2 of his first 3 games. Vince Young of the Titans was 7-10 for 66 yards, no touchdowns, and 2 picks against the Steelers and a combined 23-33 for 272 yards, 3 touchdowns, and no picks in his other 2. Josh Freeman was 20-31 for 184 yards, no touchdowns, and a pick against the Steelers and 29-54 for 360 yards, 4 touchdowns, and a pick in his other two. Combined in those 3 games, the Steelers’ defense gave up a combined 33 points.

They lost their 4^th and final game without Big Ben, 17-14 to the Ravens, but their amazing 3-1 start through 4 games, combined with Big Ben’s impending return, and the fact that no team started 4-0, meaning the Steelers had the best record in the league, made the Steelers early favorites. After all, they had been their before.

The Steelers went 9-3 in the 12 games Big Ben played this regular season. He threw for 3200 yards on 240-389 (61.7% and 8.2 YPA), 17 touchdowns and 5 picks. Their defense ranked 1^st in fewest points allowed, 1^st in fewest passing yards per attempt allowed, 1^st in fewest rushing yards per carry allowed, and 2^nd in total yards allowed. They beat the Ravens week 13 to steal the division, as Big Ben improved to 5-0 in his career against Joe Flacco (he’d later improve to 6-0 with a win the playoffs).

They had lost fairly badly to the Patriots, 39-26, at home in Pittsburgh and with the Patriots having the AFC’s best record at 14-2, it appeared it would be them and not the Steelers who made the Super Bowl. However, when the Jets defeated the Patriots in Foxboro, the Steelers had a clear path to the Super Bowl, beating the Ravens and the Jets. Both games were ugly and one could argue they only played 2 good halves between the two games, but they were headed back to the Super Bowl.

In the Super Bowl, they outgained the Packers 387-338, but three turnovers, two Ben Roethlisberger picks and a Rashard Mendenhall fumble led directly to 21 points for the Packers (with one of them being a Nick Collins pick six), doomed them as the shorthanded Packers, missing Charles Woodson, Donald Driver, and Sam Shields, in addition to the 16 players already on IR, won by a score of 31-25.

History suggests the Steelers won’t be very good next year. The last two times they made the Super Bowl, they were a combined 17-15 in the next 2 years and didn’t make the playoffs either time. Neither Super Bowl winners nor Super Bowl losers have had any success the following year, as both appear to suffer some sort of hangover. The last time a time that won the Super Bowl won a playoff game the next year was the 2004 Patriots.

Meanwhile, since 1998, only two teams have won a playoff game the year after losing the Super Bowl (2006 Seahawks, 2009 Cardinals. Only four teams have made the playoffs the next year (2000 Titans, 2006 Seahawks, 2009 Cardinals, 2010 Colts). The last time a Super Bowl runner up won multiple playoff games the next year was the 1993 Buffalo Bills. The last time a Super Bowl runner up won the Super Bowl the next year, the 1971 Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl VI.

However, if they can defy history, they’ll be a good team. They have the talent as long as Big Ben stays out of “trouble,” Troy Polamalu stays healthy, and James Harrison stays out of bankruptcy after paying all of the commissioner’s fines for “leading with his helmet.”