Before you start to count your chickens

Before you count on the Steelers simply walking into Western New York Sunday and easily beating up the Bills, let’s not forget recent history.

Sure, the Steelers are the better team, and while the team is coming off a 32-point win over the Raiders, it was last year this around this time that the team was dealt a loss that many had better keep in the back of their minds for this Sunday.

At the time the team was 6-3, and they were going into Arrowhead Stadium in KC to take on an at the time 2-7 Chiefs team. If you don’t remember the outcome, let’s go back for a moment to our game story from last year’s November 22nd disaster:

Call it a trap game. Call it a lack of focus. Whatever you call it, the Steelers 2009 season is now officially in a world of trouble. Such is the case after Sunday’s 27-24 shocking overtime loss to the formerly 2-7 Kansas City Chiefs. The Steelers had a 10-point lead at 17-7, only to blow that, then 24-17 in the fourth quarter, only to have that fall by the waysides.

The team is now 6-4, losers of two in a row, and in big trouble when it comes to even thinking about playing in the post season. The team dominated the game from the stats standpoint, and after they allowed an opening kickoff for a touchdown took charge, scoring 17 straight points.

Pittsburgh had outgained the Cheifs in regulation 463-206. The Chiefs stayed in the game with a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to start the contest. The Steelers also held the ball for 19 more minutes. Roethlisberger was 32-for-42 for 398 with three TD’s and two picks

So the question is – will Mike Tomlin bring up that fateful game in KC this week or even in his pregame speech as he gets his team ready for the Bills? Don’t forget, Buffalo has a QB in Ryan Fitzpatrick who is coming off a huge game in Cincinnati, and the Bills scored 34 points recently in a 37-34 OT loss to the Steelers rivals – the Ravens – on the road.

I’m not saying I am picking the Steelers to lay another egg like in this game last year – because I am not. The Steelers regained their eye of the tiger if you will last week in the Raiders win, and look like a team that is destined to make sure to that last seasons collapse is just a thing of the past.

Remember though, if you don’t learn from history – you are due to repeat it. Let’s hope they learned from last seasons Chiefs letdown.