Simply, this loss hurt. It dropped the Steelers from the third seed, down to the fourth seed...and possibly as far down as the sixth seed. Again, this loss could hinder Pittsburgh's chances at a championship. Then again, like the ending of one of M. Night Shyamalan's movies, there is a twist: the Steelers might actually have benefited from losing to the Jaguars.
Call it being smug. Or, having an inflated ego. Or, an overdeveloped sense of self-worth. Whatever your choose to call it, the Steelers thought that they could simply show up and win. Their loss to the Patriots was easily shrugged off as "losing to an extremely talented team." In turn, Pittsburgh's swagger remained (despite losing by three touchdowns). Conversely, their loss to Jacksonville doused Pittsburgh with a bucket of ice-cold reality: Pittsburgh is not playing well...at all.
This egoism is not a new phenomenon with the Steelers, because in the years where they were the first seed (or even the second seed) in the play-offs, Pittsburgh has historically underperformed. In short, when it truly mattered, they have come out flat, played flat, and flat-out lost. Conversely, the only year (in recent history) when the Steelers played inspired football during the play-offs, was when they were the sixth seed. Yet, even then, their play was lackadaisical in the Super Bowl...because Pittsburgh was "supposed" to beat the Seahawks. In other words, dropping down to the fourth seed might very well serve as a wake-up call to the Steelers. In fact, as ironic as it sounds, I do not think it would be a bad thing if the Steelers lost the division title, and in turn, entered the play-offs as the sixth seed. Because, for whatever reason, Pittsburgh needs a chip on their shoulder to play well, play focused, and play inspired football.
Speaking of the sixth seed, this season reminds me of the 2005 season. In 2005, the headlines were all about Manning and his quest for the touchdown record. This year, "New England's perfect season" has garnered all the hype. In 2005, the Steelers lost to the Colts, Bengals, and Broncos in the regular season...and then, got revenge on all three teams in the play-offs. This year, it appears that if the Steelers are to make it to the Super Bowl, they would have to play Jacksonville, New England, and most likely San Diego...thereby avenging this season's back-to-back losses to the Jaguars and the Patriots, as well as sending some payback San Diego's direction for the 1994 AFC Championship game (revenge is a dish, best served cold).
In short, there are three ways to react to this loss: anger, blind faith, and pragmatism. For those who are angry about dropping down from the third seed, please re-read this entire article (and look for the silver lining). For those who have buried their heads in the sand, and think that things will be alright "once Pittsburgh gets into the play-offs"...uh...re-watch the game-tapes from the past two weeks. And, for those realists out there, cross your fingers that this loss was the catalyst that Pittsburgh needed in order for them to wake up and start playing up to their potential. In other words, Pittsburgh's season is far from over, if (and only if) they decide to stop "acting" like football players and start "playing" like football players.