After an awful loss to the Cleveland Browns, things looked uncertain for the Pittsburgh Steelers. For most of the season, they had been dominating. However, their weaknesses were on full display against the Browns. They managed to bounce back, though, outgunning the Cincinnati Bengals. That impressive win has restored some confidence in them. Analyst Chris Simms certainly seems to have faith in the Steelers going forward.
“The way they play, the confidence, and the physicality [Mike] Tomlin instills in them, and then to come up with game plans that make sense for his football team, that’s where it’s special,” Simms said recently on his Chris Simms Unbuttoned podcast. “It’s special that way. The Steelers, I never thought I’d be saying this six weeks ago, but they’re kind of scary.”
What they did against the Bengals certainly makes the Steelers scary. Their usually reliable defense had a rough day. The Bengals had no problem moving the ball up and down the field. However, the Steelers’ offense picked up the slack, making plays left and right. Despite its poor performance, their defense still managed to create splash plays. It made for a recipe for success.
For the past few years, the Steelers have been trying to get their offense and defense on the same page. Last week was a good indication that they’re close to playing a complete game. There was no slow start from their offense. They came out of the gates swinging, never taking their foot off the gas.
They won’t see many offenses as talented as the Bengals either. Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins make them supremely talented. There shouldn’t be a ton of concern for the Steelers’ defense struggling to consistently get stops moving forward.
It looks like the Steelers will be getting Alex Highsmith back Sunday against the visiting Cleveland Browns, which should help shore up their defense. With Highsmith, T.J. Watt, Nick Herbig, and Preston Smith, the Steelers have so much firepower up front. That isn’t even including Cam Heyward, Larry Ogunjobi, and Keeanu Benton. The Steelers might be getting hot at the right time.
Simms isn’t wrong for previously believing the Steelers wouldn’t be this good. It wasn’t that long ago that most people wanted Justin Fields to remain their starting quarterback. The NFL is ever-changing. Very few people expected the Steelers’ offense to be this good with Russell Wilson.
The Steelers can’t slow down now though. This next stretch of games will be their biggest test yet. If they can get through it relatively unscathed, they should be a tough matchup for anyone in the playoffs. They’ve got a surplus of momentum at the moment.
