this stupid streak which is finally over was mostly correlation-not-causation. here’s the graphic from the game: LINK
here’s a breakdown of those records vs 16-game and 17-game schedule:
| team | games streak | record | 16game Wins | 17game Wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| raiders | 75 | 18-57 | 3.8 | 4 |
| steelers | 58 | 34-23-1 | 9.5 | 10.1 |
| niners | 55 | 22-33 | 6.4 | 6.8 |
here are some facts:
- 34-23-1 translates to 0.596 winning pct.
- during this 58 game stretch, the steelers held the opponent to under 400yds 41 times. that is, 71% of this stupid streak, BOTH teams were under 400 yds.
- during this streak, the .596 pct ranks 9th of all teams.
- and it ranks 1st among the AFC North in this time period.
here’s the AFC north winning % during this same 58 game streak:
| team | winning % | 16game Wins | 17game Wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| steelers | 0.596 | 9.5 | 10.1 |
| ravens | 0.593 | 9.4 | 10.0 |
| bengals | 0.553 | 8.8 | 9.4 |
| browns | 0.551 | 8.8 | 9.3 |
yes, the steelers went 58 games in a row where they were sub-400yd
- but during this stretch they were 9th in the NFL in wins
- during this stretch they were 1st in the AFC north in wins
the media is bad at math.
All this says to me is that our defense was good enough to also hold them under 400 yards which gave us a chance to win. Add in the fact that over the last 3 years we’ve been pretty solid at getting turnovers (+28 differential) and in those years we’ve also allowed the 2nd lowest PPG at 20.7. Granted we scored 20.5 PPG in the same span.
Other relevant facts:
* Surprisingly few offensive turnovers
* Elite defense, every single year
* All’s Well That Boswell