On the 45th anniversary of the debut of the Terrible Towel (which, as noted by Jim Nantz of CBS, happened during a home game against the Colts), the Steelers once again had no Terrible Towels waving. The absence of natural energy provided by Steelers fans continues to create an obstacle for the team.
After Sunday’s win over the Colt, which featured the biggest comeback of the Mike Tomlin era (in part because the Steelers under Tomlin don’t often fall behind by 17 points), linebacker T.J. Watt explained that it’s still difficult to get things going without fans in the stands.
“It’s very tough when there’s no fans,” Watt said by phone.
Even now, after a full season to get used to it?
“It’s just such a weird energy,” Watt said. “You have to find your own energy personally and as a unit. It’s so important to continue to lift everybody up. Everybody responds differently to momentum and making big plays. But it’s so important to keep the sidelines as involved as possible because we are our own energy.”
That’s what the Steelers did on Sunday, erasing a 24-7 third-quarter deficit, winning the game, and clinching the AFC North. It’s also what they’ll need to do in the wild-card round of the playoffs and, based on seeding and the outcome of the first and second weekends of games, possibly beyond.
