WASHINGTON -- As a Pittsburgh native it pains me to say this but here goes: Even if the Steelers win the Super Bowl, they've already lost.

Fate, fashion and their own faults combine to put the Steelers in a no-win situation in Sunday's matchup with the Green Bay Packers.

The Steelers are the bad guys. There is nothing they can do about it. If they win, it's because they are rotten and brutal, or so it will be said. If they lose, they will have deserved it, because they are rotten and brutal, or so it will be said.