The Pittsburgh Steelers kept themselves in the playoff hunt for at least one more week with their 34-11 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday. The road is still narrow and they will need a little help to get in, but qualifying for the tournament is much closer to a reality than it was prior to the game. Former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher discussed the Steelers win and the mentality they need to have for the last two weeks of the season on CBS Sports’ That Other Pregame Show on Sunday morning.
“You are where you are right now,” Cowher said in a clip posted by CBS Sports on X. “We need help, but lets just take care of business. I always thought that the end of the season, if you’re playing well, you can take it into the next year. And I know many times for me, it’s what you do at the end of the year that you continue to take that right into the next year. I think that’s how they have to look at it.”
The way that this team finishes the season could have ramifications beyond just how they carry into next season. Head coach Mike Tomlin rumours have been running rampant over the last week or two and some have even suggested a mutual divorce between him and the organization might be the best thing for Tomlin’s career. On the other side of things, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported before the game on Saturday that the Steelers want to extend Tomlin’s contract. That will be a much easier decision for Art Rooney II and the other Steelers execs if the team finishes 10-7, regardless of if they make the playoffs or not.
For what it’s worth, the Steelers finished the 2022 season strong, winning seven of the last nine games, and it carried over into the preseason with an abundance of hope for the 2023 season. Things didn’t quite pan out in the regular season. The team was winning games, but in an unconvincing fashion that eventually caught up to them.
If the Steelers win out, their playoff chances will be at 75 percent in a vacuum from the rest of the league’s results. If they take care of business, they have a great shot at qualifying. That being said, they will need some outside help with a current logjam in the AFC Wildcard field.
