The Pittsburgh Steelers are about to face the toughest three-game stretch of the regular season. They’re taking on three playoff-caliber teams in only ten days: the 11-2 Philadelphia Eagles, the 8-5 Baltimore Ravens, and the 12-1 Kansas City Chiefs. This will be the most difficult three-game stretch of Mike Tomlin’s head coaching tenure. Let’s take a look at the previous toughest three-game stretches before this weekend.

No. 5: 2017 Weeks 4-6 (Pittsburgh went 2-1)

Pittsburgh started by beating the 2-1 Ravens in Baltimore 26-9. The Ravens missed the playoffs due to the conference record tie-breaker with Tennessee and Buffalo.

Next, the Steelers lost at home 30-9 to the 2-2 Jaguars. Jacksonville finished the season 10-6.

Finally, Pittsburgh beat the 5-0 Chiefs 19-13 in Kansas City, who finished the season 10-6.

Final result: This Steelers team got a first-round bye in the playoffs but lost to Jacksonville in the Divisional round.

No. 4: 2015 Weeks 6-8 (1-2)

Pittsburgh started by defeating the 4-1 Cardinals at home 25-13. Arizona finished the season 13-3.

Next, they lost to the 1-5 Chiefs in Kansas City 23-13. That game kicked off a ten-game winning streak for the Chiefs, which saw them earning a Wild Card spot at 11-5.

Then, Pittsburgh lost to the 6-0 Bengals at home 16-10. Cincinnati would win the AFC North with a 12-4 record.

Final result: The Steelers got revenge against the Bengals in the playoffs, but ultimately fell to Peyton Manning and the Broncos in the Divisional Round.

No. 3: 2011 Weeks 8-10 (2-1)

First, Pittsburgh beat the 5-1 Patriots at home 25-17. New England finished the season with the #1 seed at 13-3.

Next, the Steelers lost to the 5-2 Ravens at home 23-20 thanks to a 92-yard fourth-quarter comeback from Joe Flacco in the game’s final 2:24. Baltimore would win the division with a record of 12-4.

Finally, Pittsburgh defeated the 6-2 Bengals 24-17 in Cincinnati, which featured a William Gay interception to seal the win late in the fourth quarter. The Bengals finished the season as the second wild card with a record of 9-7.

Final result: The Steelers qualified for the post-season but ultimately lost to Tim Tebow and the Broncos in overtime of the Wild Card Round.

No. 2: 2020 Weeks 6-8 (3-0)

Pittsburgh started by defeating the 4-1 Browns at home 38-7. Cleveland finished the season 11-5.

Then, they beat the 5-0 Titans in Tennessee 27-24. The Titans rallied from a 27-7 deficit. The defense finally got a stand, thanks to a Ryan Tannehill intentional grounding penalty that led to a Stephen Gostkowski missed 45-yard field goal that would have sent the game to overtime. The Titans won the AFC South with an 11-5 record.

Next, the Steelers defeated the 5-1 Ravens in Baltimore 28-24. Ben Roethlisberger led the offense to a fourth-quarter comeback. Baltimore finished the season 11-5.

Final result: All three opponents would make it to the post-season, where Cleveland handed Pittsburgh a heart-breaking defeat.

No. 1: 2019 Weeks 1-3 (0-3)

Pittsburgh opened the season by getting squashed by the Patriots 33-3 in New England, who finished the season 12-4.

Then, they lost to the Seahawks at home 28-26. The defense couldn’t stop Russell Wilson in the final five minutes to give Mason Rudolph a chance at a fourth-quarter comeback. Seattle finished the season 11-5.

Finally, they lost to the 2-0 Niners in San Francisco 24-20. James Connor lost a fumble in the fourth quarter to give Jimmy Garapollo a short field to complete the comeback. The Niners finished the season 13-3.

Final result: This Steelers team missed the playoffs.