Going through some struggles heading into the postseason isn't ideal. Every team would love to go into the postseason on a 17-game winning streak, meaning it hadn't lost a game during the regular season.
That's where the Steelers find themselves heading into next weekend's postseason, as they've now lost their final four games after dropping a 19-17 decision Saturday night to the Bengals.
That, however, doesn't necessarily mean anything once the playoffs begin.
After all, going unbeaten in the regular season has only happened twice in the history of the NFL, and even then, one of those unbeaten teams, the 2007 Patriots, failed to win the Super Bowl that season, coming up short in the championship game.
The beauty of the playoff format of the NFL is that it's not a series of games that decide who takes home the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the season. It's a series of single elimination games in which anything can and often does happen.
The regular season slate is wiped clean and the only thing that matters is which is the better team on that day.
"We're going to have to go on the road and get it done," said Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson. "That's really the only thing that matters right now is us being able to adjust and think about that and be prepared for that. Really it's one-and-done type mentality. You got to go get it and find a way to win the next game."
With that in mind, let's take a look at some instances where the Steelers have rebounded from a rough stretch of play, even in the final weeks of the season, going into the postseason to make some noise in the playoffs.
1996 Steelers, 10-6, first place AFC Central
The 1996 Steelers got off to a rocky start in Jacksonville when Jim Miller – replacing 1996 starter Neil O'Donnell - opened the season as the team's starting quarterback but was replaced at halftime by Mike Tomczak after linebacker Greg Lloyd was lost for the season.
The Steelers then went 9-2 in their next 11 games to sit at 9-3 following a 24-17 win at Miami on Nov. 25.
But December was not kind, as the Steelers were beaten 31-17 at Baltimore before rebounding with a win over the Chargers at home the following week, albeit an uninspiring 16-3 victory in which the Steelers turned the ball over four times.
The Steelers then lost 25-15 at home the following week to the 49ers before dropping their regular season finale, 18-14, on the road against the Carolina Panthers.
None of that mattered in their AFC Wild Card game against the Indianapolis Colts.
Indianapolis, which had finished 9-7 to earn a spot in the postseason, took a 14-13 lead into halftime before Jerome Bettis scored on a pair of 1-yard runs to put the Steelers ahead. Jon Witman and Kordell Stewart also scored on runs in the fourth quarter, as the Steelers rushed for 231 yards, almost 100 more yards than the Colts had as a team (146).
The momentum didn't carry into the next game, as Curtis Martin and the Patriots beat the Steelers in the fog in New England, 28-3, to end their season.
2005 Steelers, 11-5, second place, AFC North
When the Steelers lost to Baltimore, Indianapolis and Cincinnati between Nov. 20 and Dec. 4 to fall to 7-5 and out of an AFC playoff spot, things looked bleak.
After all, the Colts, one of the best teams in the league, had hammered the Steelers in that stretch, 26-7, while the Bengals put up 38 points on the vaunted Steelers defense, taking advantage of four turnovers.
But the Steelers beat the Bears in the snow, 21-9, at home the following week. Then, they knocked off the Vikings and Browns, giving up three combined points in those two games.
A 35-21 win over the Lions in the regular season finale clinched a playoff spot, albeit the sixth, and final one in the AFC.
The Steelers traveled to AFC North champion Cincinnati in the opening round, beating the Bengals 31-17, to give them two wins in three meetings with the division champions.
The following week saw them get another rematch, as they returned to Indianapolis, this time beating Peyton Manning and the Colts, 21-18.
It was on to Denver for the AFC Championship, a game the Steelers won easily, 34-17, to advance to the Super Bowl, where they defeated Seattle, 21-10, to become the first No. 6 seed in NFL history to win the championship,
2016 Steelers, 11-5, first place, AFC North
The Steelers got off to a 4-1 start before losing to Miami and New England in back-to-back games before heading into their bye week at 4-3.
Coming out of the bye, they then lost at Baltimore before coming home and losing to Dallas to fall to 4-5.
Things looked bleak, but the Steelers rattled off seven consecutive wins to lock up first place in the division, which earned them a rematch with a Dolphins team that had beaten them 30-15 during that losing streak.
The Steelers turned the tables on the Dolphins in the rematch, winning 30-12, holding Jay Ajayi, who had rushed for 205 yards against them earlier in the season, to just 33 yards on 16 carries.
They then knocked off the Chiefs, 18-16, at Arrowhead Stadium with Chris Boswell kicking a playoff-record 6 field goals in a cold, icy game to send the Steelers on to the AFC Championship at New England.
Le'Veon Bell, who had set team records for playoff rushing yards in back-to-back games with 167 and then 170, left early in the first quarter and the Steelers rushed for just 54 yards in a loss to the Patriots.
