3 things we learned from Steelers incredible Week 16 win vs. the Bengals

Well, I don't know about you, but the only word I can come up with to describe the Steelers' win against the Cincinnati Bengals is incredible. If you look up the word 'incredible' in the dictionary, one definition is too extraordinary and improbable to be believed.

After suffering three straight losses, two of which were home losses, we managed to save our best performance of the season thus far to secure a victory in our final home game. Not only did we win our final home game, but the win was a much-needed conference win.

Let's see what we learned on the offensive side of the ball.

The Steelers offense finally came to life against the Bengals

When I stated that the win against the Bengals was an incredible one, I meant it. After having lost three consecutive games, it looked like the Steelers would end the season on a losing streak that would have been catastrophic on many fronts.

While we are still not in a playoff position as of the time of this discussion, there's a lot that could transpire that would catapult us into a playoff position. The reality is we needed to beat the Bengals to keep any playoff hopes alive and we did just that in emphatic fashion.

In what can be described as an offensive explosion, the Steelers offense amassed three-hundred and ninety-seven total yards, according to ESPN. What stood out to me was the play of Mason Rudolph. Mike Tomlin decided to give Rudolph the 'nod' over Mitch Trubisky, who had started the previous three games.

The other player who stood out to me was George Pickens, the second-year receiver from Georgia. When we drafted Pickens, I thought we had found a 'gem'. We needed a big-bodied receiver to pair with, the not-as-tall-as Pickens, Diontae Johnson.

I think we were all waiting for Pickens to have the kind of performance he had against the Bengals. Pickens accumulated on-hundred and ninety-five yards on just four receptions. He also found the endzone twice. To put it into perspective, Pickens accounted for almost sixty-nine percent of the passing yards.

Not only did Rudolph and Pickens have great individual performances, but the entire offense played well, we were balanced, put up thirty-four points, and, for the first time in a long time, made the day pretty easy for the defense.

Speaking of the defense, let's see what we learned on that side of the ball.