The Pittsburgh Steelers’ season took a turn for the worse a few weeks ago. After being on top of the AFC North for so long, a few bad games have bumped them down to second place. It’s unfortunate, but it doesn’t mean their season is over. They have a chance to turn things around Saturday against the Cincinnati Bengals. Former NFL running back LeSean McCoy believes the Steelers need to win this game.
“When you got that momentum, you feel different, the team is different,” McCoy said Wednesday on FS1’s The Facility. “The attitude, the swagger, the arrogance, you need that. If you keep losing, how are you gonna beat the good teams if you can’t beat the regular teams? We love Joe Burrow, they are a bad team. If you can’t beat a bad Joe Burrow team, who are you gonna beat in the playoffs?”
McCoy makes a good point. If the Steelers lose, they’ll have dropped their final four regular-season games. That is not a recipe for success going into the playoffs. For a team that hasn’t won a playoff game since 2016, it would just feel like more of the same for the Steelers.
The Bengals also might not be as bad as McCoy is making them out to be. They might not be a good team, but their offense is spectacular. If their defense could actually get a stop, they’d probably have a few more wins. Burrow is still an MVP candidate, and their top two receivers are elite.
All that said, this isn’t going to be an easy game for the Steelers. The Bengals are fighting to make the playoffs, so they’re going to bring their best. They’ve won their last four games, getting hot down the stretch. That’s the exact opposite of how the Steelers have looked.
The Steelers did beat the Bengals earlier this year. Winning this game would do a lot to improve their chances of winning a playoff game. It would also give them a more favorable matchup.
If the Steelers beat the Bengals, they’ll likely draw the Houston Texans in the first round of the playoffs. While the Texans dominated them last year, they’ve stumbled more this season. That’s a game the Steelers could win.
If the Steelers lose this week, their first-round opponent could end up being the Baltimore Ravens. Although the Steelers always play hard against the Ravens, they just got crushed in Baltimore a few weeks ago. That wouldn’t be an ideal first playoff game.
Overlooking the Bengals would be a mistake, though. The Steelers need to handle business this week. They cannot continue to look as bad as they have. Having those issues follow them into the postseason would likely lead to another quick exit, no matter who their opponent is.
