The Steelers beat a talented Bengals team this past Sunday, and the win is something worth talking about. Pittsburgh has been built to play in low-scoring games and win with long, grinding drives while dominating on the ground. Against Cincinnati, the script was flipped. In a high-scoring affair, the team found a way to win.
While I normally focus on the overreactions to ignore, I’m changing it up this week. There aren’t a whole lot of discussion points that aren’t valid, so instead I want to settle in on three talking points worth bringing up. These three overreactions should be the talk of all fans ahead of next week.
Mike Williams isn’t 'The Guy'
The Steelers acquired Mike Williams ahead of the trade deadline with the hopes that he would cement himself as the second receiver on the offense. Since joining the squad, he hasn’t really found a way to land a role. Despite his first catch going for a winning touchdown, he hasn’t been able to develop into that constant top threat.
He played 25 percent of the snaps this week despite coming off a mini-bye week due to the Thursday night game against the Browns. This was his opportunity to stake his claim, but he once again came up short. At this point, it seems like the Steelers gave up a fifth-round pick for a depth receiver, and I don’t expect much to change barring a major injury.
The Steelers have a young man problem
Pittsburgh entered the season with two bright young stars at opposite positions on the field in George Pickens and Joey Porter. Both had flashed in their limited time as pros, and expectations were high for both players this year. While their objective play hasn’t been bad, there are major issues with both that are holding them up.
Pickens has been productive as a receiver, but he has proven to make a lot of boneheaded decisions. From the taunting calls this past week to being more focused on fighting than winning, there is an immaturity issue that is holding him back. If he can’t get himself in check soon, his time in Pittsburgh will come to an end soon.
READ MORE: The Steelers have a massive George Pickens problem on their hands
As for Porter, he also has had a lot of good play in coverage this season. He is a naturally gifted cornerback, and he has aided in erasing opposing receivers at times. Unfortunately, he is also being penalized at a wild rate. He is far too quick to grab, and his length has proven to be a negative at this point. If he and Pickens can’t clean up their respective games, two potential cornerstone players could fail to earn second contracts with the team.
The Steelers are legitimate competitors
After years of mediocrity and sneaking into the playoffs, the Steelers find themselves in a rare spot based on their recent history. After they kept up and eventually beat the Bengals in a high-scoring affair, it showed that this team can adapt and win in other ways even when the game plan isn’t what the team wants. This team is firing on all cylinders.
Sure, this team has its warts, but there are few perfect teams right now in the NFL. After showing the ability to win in a high-score game, a lot of questions have been answered. Sure, the offense resorted to a lot of check-downs and quick passes, but that is what good offenses do. They adapt to what the defense is showing and take what is given. It may be elementary, but it works and keeps the ball moving effectively.
While the Chiefs and Bills are still the heavy favorites in the AFC, neither team is perfect. Pittsburgh can win in a multitude of ways and plays tough every week. The losses have been to pretty bad teams, but that shouldn’t deter you from believing in this team. They need to get the monkey off their back with a playoff win, but the sky is the limit for this team right now.