For Pittsburgh sports fans, last weekend can be summed up with a four-letter word — ugly.

Coming off Cincinnati’s thumping of Pitt football in the team’s Big East opener Thursday, the Pittsburgh Pirates committed seven — seven! — errors during a 12-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs with ace A.J. Burnett on the hill.

It set the stage for a three-game sweep for Chicago, followed by the Pittsburgh Steelers allowing 24 second-half points in a 31-19 season-opening loss at Denver on Sunday night.

Ugly.

It’s easy to focus on the negatives, but I like a good challenge.

Covering high school sports the past few years, I’ve learned the importance of trying to take positives out of every game, no matter how deflating a poor performance can be.

It’s tough to find any for the Pirates, though.

The Bucs have crumbled under pressure down the stretch, finding a way to lose their last 11 games decided by two runs or less.

However, there are two factors working in the Pirates’ favor, which by no coincidence has nothing to do with the product Pittsburgh has put on the field over the past month.

Despite the team’s current 9-22 funk, the Buccos are miraculously within 2 1/2 games of the playoffs thanks to the stumbling St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers.

Neither of the Pirates’ competitors are above .500 in September, making the Bucs’ 2-8 ledger a little easier to stomach. If Pittsburgh can mount any sort of momentum, the schedule sets up well to make a push for the second NL wild-card spot.

After tonight’s game at Cincinnati, the Pirates play their next 14 against Chicago, Milwaukee, Houston and the New York Mets. The last six feature Cincinnati and Atlanta, which shouldn’t have much to play for by then with playoff spots nearly secured.

The Pirates haven’t taken advantage of favorable matchups over the past month, but the opportunity is still there to turn this ship around before it completely sinks.

The Steelers, on the other hand, have plenty of time to make the young season a positive one.

Aside from letting Demaryius Thomas run free for a 71-yard TD — sparking memories of last year’s playoff loss — and Ben Roethlisberger’s poorly timed interception, the Steelers looked solid on Sunday.

They played a well-rounded team on the road against an all-time great quarterback with a whole lot to prove in his Denver debut. Add in the absence of Ryan Clark, James Harrison and Rashard Mendenhall, the Steelers certainly held their own.

In particular, it was encouraging to see production from all three young wide receivers in Mike Wallace, Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders.

Meanwhile, Jonathan Dwyer established himself as Pittsburgh’s best option in the running game until Mendenhall returns. He ran downhill, and unlike Isaac Redman, showcased some elusiveness in the open field.

Roethlisberger was brilliant, especially on third down, up until the interception to seal the Steelers’ fate.

Yes, it was a miserable weekend for Pittsburgh fans, but there’s one undeniable bright spot to keep in mind.

Can you remember the last time the Pirates and Steelers played on the same day and both teams had playoff hopes?

Me neither.

Jason Orfao is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.