Things were looking uncertain for the Pittsburgh Steelers after they lost to the Cleveland Browns. Suddenly, they looked less like a Super Bowl contender and more like the pretender they’ve been over the past few years. However, they responded well against the Cincinnati Bengals. Their defense had some issues, but their offense stepped up in a big way in a 44-38 win. Because of that, former NFL wide receiver James Jones believes the Steelers are going to be a tough out in Janaury.
“The Pittsburgh Steelers are going to be a problem in the playoffs,” Jones said Monday on FS1’s The Facility. “Watching the Pittsburgh Steelers, we ain’t never really see that defense look like that: bad. Joe Burrow said, ‘First down, first down, first down.’
“Twenty-eight first downs Joe Burrow had. They were going up and down the football field, and Russell Wilson said, ‘Don’t trip, defense. Y’all been carrying this team for way too long. I got your back. Here goes a 40 burger.'”
Jones is correct that the Steelers’ defense had an uncharacteristically bad day against the Bengals. For most of this season, they’ve smothered opposing offenses. The Bengals were not intimidated. Their offense put up 31 points, easily the most against the Steelers’ defense this year.
That isn’t to say the defense was awful. It wasn’t as good as it had been but still made multiple splash plays. For as good as the Steelers’ offense was, their defense helped keep them in the game by creating takeaways.
The Bengals’ offense is a high-octane unit too. Stopping it is much easier said than done. Burrow would be an MVP candidate this season if his defense could ever get a stop and close out a game. Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are arguably the best wide receiver duo in the NFL. Their offense doesn’t lack firepower.
Still, the Steelers kept up with them, and then some. They probably aren’t going to be this explosive every week, but it shows that they can win games in different ways. In recent years, they’ve mostly had to rely on their defense to choke the life out of their opponents. With Wilson at quarterback, that hasn’t been the case as often as it used to be.
The Steelers have won games because of their offense, defense, and special teams. In the postseason, they’ll likely need all three phases to continue firing on all cylinders. If they continue to play like they did this week, they have the potential to beat anyone.
