Will the real Pittsburgh Steelers please stand up?

We’ll know for sure which team it will be over the next two weeks.

In what is the last challenging part of the Steelers schedule the rest of the regular season, Pittsburgh will host the New England Patriots and the Baltimore Ravens, arguably two of the best teams in the AFC as well as all of pro football.

The Patriots have had a lot of success against the Steelers, particularly in the postseason (24-17 in 2001 and 41-27 in 2004) while Baltimore has had the last laugh in that tough-fought series, a 35-7 blowout in the season opener.

Seven turnovers were the main culprit in that game, so the Steelers will look to bounce back the second time around.

New England, as usual, will be a tough matchup, especially with quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick having a bye week to prepare for it.

That idea leaves me a little nervous, but the Patriots defense does not. I can see another high-scoring affair there, but will Pittsburgh’s defense do enough to throw Brady out of his rhythm and disrupt the Pats’ offense?

I can’t see it because the Steelers have never really stopped Brady. In fact, the Steelers have been fortunate that in their three Super Bowl trips over the past six years — including two victories — they never had to face the Patriots.

Against Baltimore, I like the Steelers’ chances this time. Seven turnovers in an aberration and I think Pittsburgh will be better prepared.

Plus, Pittsburgh seems to be clicking offensively, something they were able to do in last week’s 32-20 victory over Arizona.

The ground game is still a bit inconsistent, but the team still tried to continue churning out yardage on the ground, averaging just 3.3 yards per carry, but they stuck with it to keep the Cardinals from playing a strict pass defense.

With Baltimore’s 12-7 loss to Jacksonville last night, the Steelers have a half-game lead on Baltimore and the Cincinnati Bengals since the Steelers have yet to receive their bye — which will come after these next two games and a trip to Cincinnati.

A 2-1 split would leave Pittsburgh staring at a 7-3 record and a much-needed break from the grind plus an extra week of healing some injuries.

Should the Steelers lose two of three games, a 6-4 record would not be horrible. A favorable schedule the rest of the way could help fix what might ail the Steelers, but the squad would show they are not a serious threat in the playoffs — which they would still make.

A strong showing — and a win or two — would go a long way in showing this year’s team is not “old” or finished, that they can be as good as anyone else out there.

The Steelers will just need to show that the next two weeks. How they perform against the Patriots and Ravens will show if this team is built for another January run. And whether it can make it to February.

Sam Tallarico is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.