There’s no team the Pittsburgh Steelers like seeing more than the Cincinnati Bengals. In Week 12, they broke through an extreme 58-game drought of failing to register 400 yards of offense. In Week 16, they snapped another dubious streak. For the first time in their last 56 games, the Steelers scored 30 points in a victory, coming out on top 34-11 Saturday night.
It’s a stat we’ve mentioned several times throughout the season. After their 13-10 loss to the Cleveland Browns, we posted this tweet showing the streak was up to 51 games, by far the longest in the NFL.
Since then, the Indianapolis Colts have broken their drought – twice – including in last week’s 30-13 win over the Steelers. But Pittsburgh is finally off the off the schneid.
Prior to Saturday at Acrisure Stadium, the last 30-point win the Steelers registered also came against the Bengals. You have to go back to Nov. 15, 2020, a Week 10 36-10 victory over Cincinnati. That year, the Steelers won three such games that way, also notching a 38-7 win over the Cleveland Browns and 38-29 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.
While it’s a quirky and somehow specific stat, it highlighted the Steelers’ struggles. An inability to score points and general inability to win by comfortable margins. This marks the first time Pittsburgh’s scored 30 points in any game, regardless of outcome, since last year’s 37-30 loss to the Bengals. And it’s the first time Pittsburgh has won by more than one possession since the 2022 regular-season finale, a 28-14 win over the Cleveland Browns.
Overall, it’s been a tough year for the Steelers to move the ball. But they found some magic two days before Christmas. They did it with their third-string quarterback, fifth- and sixth-string safeties, and I’ve-lost-count-string inside linebackers. A great win for a Steelers season that hasn’t had a lot to truly feel good about. A complete game and one that’ll make you smile, no matter what happens the next two weeks.
