The Pittsburgh Steelers played very much unlike themselves in Week 13 against the Cincinnati Bengals. That definitely wasn’t a bad thing, though. For the most part, the Steelers have been a run-first offense this year. Against the Bengals, that was not the case. The Steelers came out slinging the ball on offense. According to Mike Tomlin, that was always the Steelers’ plan.
“We wanted to come out and attack because we knew what they would give us,” Tomlin said after the game via the team’s YouTube channel. “That’s what I mean about the depths of these waters. These divisional relationships, it is not checkers, it’s chess.”
That’s the right answer. Although they’re only just above the Cleveland Browns in the AFC North, they still have a talented team. However, their defense has been their Achilles heel. While their offense can put up points, their defense can’t stop a nosebleed. That was apparent against the Steelers.
The Steelers’ offense had their most explosive day in quite some time. Russell Wilson led the way for that success. The Steelers had Wilson throw the ball 38 times. He did put up 414 yards and three touchdowns, so that strategy worked. However, it was strange to see them change their identity so willingly.
Usually, the Steelers stick to their brand of football until they absolutely can’t. Take one look at the game against the Indianapolis Colts earlier this year. The Steelers couldn’t run the ball to save their lives, but they were slow to abandon it. They had much more success when they began to pass more.
In this game, the Steelers wasted no time at all throwing the football. The first five plays they called were passes. Even after Wilson threw an interception that got returned for a touchdown, they did not hesitate to pass.
It was the right move though. Tomlin has made it clear that he loves these AFC North battles, and that shows up when these teams play. He clearly took the extra time he had leading up to this game and put it to good use. According to FOX Sports, going into this game, the Bengals had the 23rd ranked passing defense. Tomlin had that well-scouted and took advantage of it.
That game provided the bounce back the Steelers needed. They dropped a winnable game against the Browns, but this week, they looked like a contender again. They still need to clean some things up, like their red zone offense, but there were positives than negatives. While he wasn’t at his best against the Browns, Tomlin’s expertise was on full display against the Bengals.
