Defeating a Team Three Times in One Season? Never!

With the Steelers AFC Championship game against the Ravens looming this week, I've heard the same line over and over again, and I'm sick of it. Apparently it has become universally known that it's difficult to defeat the same opponent three times in one year. It's almost become a cliche. I thought it was tough to beat a playoff team once period. I don't know who ever came up with that idea, but did anyway think of actually researching it? Thankfully, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette took care of that.

According to the Post-Gazette, there have been 18 instances in NFL history where teams have met up for a third time in the playoffs with one team winning both regular season contests. The team that won both games the first two times around are 11-7 in the crucial third game, including a 7-3 record in the most recent 10 times it has happened. Not too mention that the Steelers are 2-0 in these games after beating the Browns (the old Ravens) three times in 1994 and more recently in 2002. I'm not saying that it can't happen, but these numbers clearly prove that the team winning the first two games are well over .500 in the final game. So can the media and experts please put this argument to bed? I'm tired of hearing it.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin had a great answer this week when asked about the myth...

"I personally don't subscribe to that hocus-pocus to be honest with you."

Me neither, Coach.