The Pittsburgh Steelers wrapped up their pre-bye week schedule with a 26-18 win over the New York Giants in Week 8. Steelers fans don’t have a whole lot to complain about in terms of results.
Plus, the Steelers (and fans) got more good news on Thursday night. Prior to the game between the Houston Texans and the New York Jets, the Steelers were one of three 6-2 teams leading their respective division. The Texans were one (leading the AFC South) while the Buffalo Bills were the other (leading the AFC East).
But on Thursday, the Texans lost to the Jets 21-13. That loss dropped the Texans to 6-3 and fourth in the AFC. The Steelers jumped to second thanks to a better conference winning percentage than the Bills.
Especially when it’s the bye week, it’s never too early for fans to start thinking about playoff seeding. Any losses by AFC playoff contenders are good for the Steelers.
That means the Steelers’ bye week is off to a good start. Hopefully for the Steelers, they’ll get more good news as the weekend progresses. Obviously, Steelers fans will be cheering for Russell Wilson’s old team, the Denver Broncos, on Sunday. They’ll be heading to Baltimore to take on the Ravens. A Broncos win would create more separation for the Steelers atop the AFC North.
And things are trending in the right direction as far as team health, too. The Steelers have been without stellar rookie C Zach Frazier the last two games due to an ankle injury he suffered in the team’s 32-13 win over the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 6. But he is targeting a return after the bye week against the Washington Commanders.
And as far as the Texans go, they will have a familiar face to the Steelers suiting up on the offensive line. Starting LG Kenyon Green suffered a shoulder injury that will keep him out for the rest of the season. That means former Steelers OL Kendrick Green will be slotted in at left guard for the foreseeable future.
The Steelers will be taking time to rest, recover, and make adjustments to refine their approach before heading into the gauntlet that is their remaining schedule. But they couldn’t have asked for a better start to the bye week in terms of results across the league. All thanks to the New York Jets. Even though the Jets traded for WR Davante Adams, they did do the Steelers a big favor by beating the Texans.
All in all, the Steelers’ bye week is off to a nice start. Will the good times continue? That’s outside of the team’s control, so chances are the team is unconcerned. There are still plenty of games ahead for the Steelers, but every bit of help is welcome.
