The Pittsburgh Steelers.

We're gonna use this now.

A team that didn't fall into traps in trap games anyway, a team coached by Mike Tomlin that takes every opponent seriously nevertheless, is going to be even Mawr intense for the rest of this season.

Because for the second time, well, it's more than two times lives with two different teams, the Titans and the Ravens probably the two toughest teams on their schedule so far right?

They have to postpone things.

They have to move things around, whether or not it's medically the responsible thing to do, they're gonna think.

And they said We're getting job here so they don't get enough respect.

Then they feel like they're getting jobbed by happenstance or by the league or by their arch rivals, the Ravens.

It doesn't have to be perfectly rational.

Just has to be the way they feel.

I believe they're going to use this as motivation.

I think we're going to see the best version of the Steelers.

Partly as a result of this.

From here on out, I think they just got even more dangerous.

I think you're reaching.

I think you're reaching.

I don't think that whatever you're seeing from the Steelers, I don't think it's gonna be because of what has transpired here and then, by the way, I do like the jacket is just the zipper threw me off because it's over your right shoulder.

But that's neither.

You know, there.

I'll get back some other time.

Here's the bottom line with the Steelers.

Here's the bottom line with Steelers.

Everybody walked into this season knowing that change was going to take place like it wasn't the September.

You remember the September 11 attacks in 2000 and one, obviously the Super Bowl.

Ultimately, a date was moved back.

Or what have you, if I remember correctly and they really haven't had postponements to their schedule since that time.

We understand how sticklers the NFL is in terms of keeping things on schedule, but it came into the season knowing that changes were imminent.

Week forward.

The Tennessee Titans.

The multitude of things that they had to do with the New England Patriots because off the you know, the number of folks that ended up testing positive with the Baltimore Ravens.

The Steelers might be incredibly frustrated, but they might be incredibly frustrated because the games keep being moved back.

A day here, day there, day there.

But you can't blame anybody when you look at the Baltimore Ravens.

I mean, every single day, there's an additional positive test.

So the Steelers might be perturbed.

They might be a bit annoyed, but in the and ultimately what, you have to reach the conclusion of that again.

We're going through a global pandemic.

We're seeing cases spike all over the country, particularly during the months of December and January.

People are incredibly worried about how worse things are going to get, and the NFL hasn't been able to escape that reality.

They already canceled the Pro Bowl.

Okay, you know they anticipate the possibility of having to move the Super Bowl back.

They know that that stadium is going to be, you know, Raymond James Stadium.

Whatever it is in Tampa Bay, there's going to be available.

All of these contingency plans have been addressed.

So when you when you're the Pittsburgh Steelers or any NFL team, for that matter, because we're talking about Covert 19 in the immediate moment.

It might be frustrating because you're trying to get on the schedule.

You know you're ready, you're ready to go on.

The other team is not, and you understand that there's some blame to be pointed in their direction because a few individuals may have been responsible.

But in the end, because it's covert that we're talking about here, where you have people tested positive at times and they don't even know why they don't know what they did.

They were wearing their masks.

They did engage in social distances.

But who knows?

They might have touched the surface.

There might have been in an environment.

Where was airport?

You don't know what the hell is going on.

And I think ultimately, at the end of the day, that's the conclusion people will reach once things subside.

So I don't think this is gonna have an effect, positive or negative on the Pittsburgh Steelers.

I think what you see from the Pittsburgh Steelers is what you were going to see anyway.

Whether there was a delay or not, I do not believe that it's going to be because of this, that somehow their motivation is elevated to a point where we're going to see them.

Take something to another level.

They're already undefeated, For crying out loud.

Yeah.

Before I get into the question, Max, let me address.

Listen, I don't need you to come at 10.

30 in the morning.

I already got a long day.

I know.

I got a long day with you after what happened last night.

I don't need to come out of 10.

30 and for you to try to take a shot at my wardrobe.

Okay?

You got all your buddies and all your cronies hitting me up on social media about Carson Wentz.

I know at 11 o'clock when I got to come back on and talk about the Eagles and Carson wins, my hands are full.

So the last thing I need is for you to take your shot at my jacket.

Okay?

It's a free jacket.

I wanna wear it now to the question, Um, I think there's really two big ramifications with what's going on in this game with what's going on in this game One.

This is really, really damning for the Baltimore Ravens.

I mean, this is a team that's the number eight seed in the playoffs, and their chances of winning this football game are less than 1% less than 2%.

I mean, so you're talking about a team that because of co vid and because of the rules and the protocols and the constant postponement of the game, that they're gonna be without some really key players, they're gonna lose this football game sitting at six and five and now likely going to be sitting at six and six as the eight seed, which is going to be a huge game.

I mean, we're talking One game could be the difference between not just getting the one seed in winning your division, but getting into the actual playoffs.

And so this game is going to be huge.

Ah, huge mountain for them to climb afterwards to try to get back into the playoff race because you're talking about Las Vegas and potentially New England being back into the picture because of it.

And the second thing that I think of is this.

This needs to be in many ways, a warning sign or a A because I sit back and go okay, maybe in week 11 or week 12 to the Baltimore Ravens, who might not be one of the glamour teams of the NFL.

I want to say that, but like a team that's expected to win the Super Bowl this year, it might be somewhat easier to postpone this game.

But what happens if it's Week 16 or Week one of the playoffs?

And it's Patrick Mahomes, and there's this constant.

Okay, Monday, there's positive test Tuesday.

There's positive Wednesday.

Are they just gonna constantly pushed playoff games?

What happens if it's Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers?

So this needs to be a really big moment for the NFL to go.

How can we learn to better protect ourselves when we get into a moment where these games can't just be pushed three or four days?

Because the competitive advantage and disadvantage off win or go home scenarios and that's the playoffs?

So this is huge for the Ravens, a huge detriment for the Ravens but also the NFL needs.

It needs to learn from what has happened over this past 10 days with this game.

Thanks for watching ESPN on YouTube for live streaming sports and premium content.