The Pittsburgh Steelers clinched a winning record with their 44-38 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 13, and at 9-3, former NFL head coach Bill Belichick is a fan of how the Steelers are playing. During his weekly appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Belichick said the Steelers are going to be tough to beat down the stretch if they keep playing their brand of football.
“They’re a very resourceful team. They find ways to win, to block kicks, to make goal-line stops, to score. You just can’t count them out,” Belichick said. “They’ve done a good job of not turning the ball over, and generally with that defense, if you don’t turn the ball over, 20 points is probably enough to win most weeks. So I think if they can stay with that formula, they’re going to be tough to beat. They’ve got a good field goal kicker to win close games. It’s a lot to like there.”
Pittsburgh’s offense is at its best when the Steelers are able to get their ground game going, and against the Bengals they ran for 110 yards. That helped supplement their passing attack, which was elite all game. Russell Wilson threw for 414 yards, and while that won’t happen every week, the way he spread the ball around and attacked underneath while also taking shots downfield when needed is something the Steelers can continue to build on.
Defensively, it wasn’t the best outing for the Steelers as they allowed 31 points, but they forced three turnovers and got consistent pressure on Joe Burrow. Cincinnati’s offense is one of the best in football, and Pittsburgh’s defense has shown up all season long. Belichick believes they will continue to pose problems for opposing offenses as the season enters the home stretch.
The key for the Steelers is to establish the run, play good defense and rely on Russell Wilson to make the throws he has so far, winning downfield and finding space underneath to give opportunities for yards after the catch. While Wilson does have an interception in three of his last four games and fumbled in Week 12 against the Browns, Pittsburgh has done a good job of limiting turnovers, and that gives opposing offenses less opportunities to score. The pick-six he threw against Cincinnati could’ve been flagged, and while it was a key play in the game, the Steelers were able to overcome it.
They’ve shown they can beat good teams this season, and with the Ravens, Eagles and Chiefs still on the schedule over the next few weeks, the Steelers are going to have to prove they can continue to do so. If they continue to play their brand of football and find success in all three phases like they have so far, this is a team that can really make some noise in the AFC, and Belichick certainly sounds confident in them.
