3 things we learned from Steelers season-saving win versus the Cincinnati Bengals
- Offense finally looked legitimate
- Defense looked reminiscent of their old school dominating defenses
- Steelers turned a corner on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals
By Eric Hassel
Steelers turned a corner today on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals
Look, I don't think it is appropriate to delve too much into how different the offense looked against the Bengals sans Canada, but there is no denying that the Steelers' offense finally turned a corner, at least in this game.
I'm sure it was not an easy decision for Tomlin to move on from Canada, but based on what we saw against the Bengals, I think it's fair to say that the change had to be made and it frankly should have been sooner than it was made, but that is a discussion for another time.
I am not going to make any proclamations after one game, but the offense possessed the ball enough to give the defense a much-needed breather. We saw the results. The defense played essentially 'lights out' because they weren't on the field as much as they had been in previous weeks.
That is the epitome of complimentary football. The offense possesses the ball, and scores points, and the defense plays shut-down football. When those things happen, that almost always leads to a victory and it did against the Bengals.
I don't know if Tomlin was necessarily looking for vindication in the game against the Bengals, but the obvious statement is that Tomlin was vindicated by making the decision to move on from Canada. I realize it's one game and one win, but if we can keep this momentum going, I dare say we will put ourselves in a position of strength versus putting ourselves 'behind the eight ball' because of an inefficient offense and an exhausted defense.