Steelers: Game against Bengals may define season
By Jack Tolman
The Pittsburgh Steelers face off against the Cincinnati Bengals in a game that could truly make or break the Steeler’s season.
Pittsburgh marched into Indianapolis, and completely stole the show. After going down 10-6 in the 2nd quarter, the Steelers scored 39 unanswered points en route to a 45-10 blow out. Pittsburgh exemplified the firepower on offense coupled with big plays on defense that fans have wanted to see all season.
Not only did the offense roar, but every player contributed something important to the team. Rookie Tight End Jesse James stepped up to the plate early in the game, replacing one of Ben’s favorite targets in Heath Miller.
Antonio Brown was his usual self, catching for over 100 yards, and 2 TDs. His punt return touchdown was a beautiful thing, and him flinging himself into the goal post was a sight to see, a painful one, but an exciting one nonetheless.
Martavis Bryant and Markus Wheaton both had stellar games, each catching a touchdown, and Bryant showing his deep threat capability, and speed in a sweet 68 yard touchdown.
To add to the list of great contributors, DeAngelo Williams rushed for over 130 yards, and was great out of the backfield all game. Also can’t overlook the great job done by the offensive line who was able to really protect Ben for the entire day; he rarely seemed under pressure, and it allowed him to load the cannon, and launch some great balls downfield.
Despite the victory, the Steelers are just outside of playoff position. Pittsburgh stands behind the New York Jets, and the Kansas City Chiefs in the wild card race, who also have 7-5 records.
Looking at the three team’s schedules, the Chiefs are the one team that really should glide to the playoffs. Out of the Steelers, and Jets, the Steelers definitely have the more threatening schedule.
The Jets have two nice games against the 3 win Titans, and 4 win Cowboys, but then face off against the reigning champion Patriots, and the Rex Ryan led Bills (who beat the Jets earlier in the season).
The Steelers are the opposite, getting their toughest games out of the way first. This week, they face off against the division leading Bengals, then face off against the seemingly unstoppable Brock Osweiler led Broncos. After that, the Steelers have bouts against the struggling Browns, and not much better Ravens.
If one was to predict how everyone’s games would go, the Chiefs could easily go 4-0, the Jets could go either 3-1, or 2-2, and the Steelers are the same.
Simply said, the Steelers have the toughest road to the playoffs, and it starts with a game that could truly be the difference this week.
The game against Cincinnati is probably the easier of the two, with the Broncos looking like the kings of the AFC. Earlier in the season, the Steelers looked to beat the Bengals, and were playing pretty nicely before running back Le’Veon Bell went down with an injury, sucking the air out of the stadium.
The Bengals went on to win that game 16-10, but the Steelers have evolved since then.
The offense seems impossible to stop. Roethlisberger seems as healthy as can be, and his receivers simply cannot be stopped. On top of that, DeAngelo Williams has made Pittsburgh fans almost forget about Le’Veon for the meantime (though of course, we miss him).
With that being said, the Bengals are most likely favored in this match up; a win would seal the division in their favor, plus they are fighting for the #1 seed in the AFC, so they’ll want to give it their all this coming weekend.
If the Steelers win, it means they can go into a home game against Denver with high morale, and a ton of momentum running down the stretch, and have knocked off one of their two most difficult games, setting them up for at least a 3-1 record down the 4-game stretch.
A loss on the other hand would basically mean that the Steelers would need to win out or risk missing out on the postseason.
On top of winning, the Steelers might need a little bit of help from other teams around the league in knocking off the Jets and Chiefs, just enough for the Steelers to pass one of the two. Also keep an eye on those pesky Bills, who simply won’t stay out of the mix.