The Pittsburgh Steelers rebounded from a Week 12 loss with a 44-38 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, and it was a standout game for QB Russell Wilson, who threw for 414 yards in the win. It was the best version of Wilson the Steelers have seen since he took over as their starting quarterback in Week 7, and analyst Rich Eisen said on The Rich Eisen Show that Wilson looked the way he did during his prime.
“[Russell Wilson] was legit in Cincinnati on Sunday. Cooking. Like it was prime Seattle days. He was absolutely doing the things that he did in Seattle that put him on a path to the Hall of Fame,” Eisen said.
He said that if Wilson can keep it up and the Steelers’ defense continues to come through with timely plays, as they forced three turnovers yesterday, the Steelers can make it to the Super Bowl.
“Wilson showed up for the Steelers and is showing up for the Steelers. And I know they went through that stretch where they didn’t have any touchdowns, and they lost the snow game. But you gotta give it up. 520 total yards of offense for Russ…this team can not only win the division, they’re in first place. If they play like this, T.J. Watt and [Nick] Herbig are coming up with strip sacks, and defensively, I know they gave up all those points, but if they’re being timely and doing their thing, they can go to the Super Bowl.”
The AFC is a little more open than it usually is this season. The Kansas City Chiefs don’t look infallible like they have in the past. They’ve barely held on to win a number of close games, including in Week 13 when they benefitted from a botched snap to beat the Las Vegas Raiders before the Raiders could line up for a game-winning field goal. The Buffalo Bills, the only team to beat Kansas City this season, look like the best team in the conference. Still, they’ve also shown lapses this season, including losing 35-10 to the Baltimore Ravens earlier this season.
The conference not being as strong as it looked ahead of the season gives the Steelers a chance, as there isn’t a team they can’t beat in the postseason. They’ll see the Chiefs in Week 17, and that should be a good matchup and one that will get the Steelers ready for the level of competition they’ll see in the postseason. The same goes for their second matchup with the Baltimore Ravens, which will come in Week 15.
Pittsburgh’s defense has been its strength all season. Despite allowing 31 points against the Bengals, they forced three turnovers and had a defensive touchdown. If they can pair the defense with a passing attack that resembles what it did on Sunday, Eisen might be right that the Steelers could really make a run come January.
