The jig is up. The news is out. The Pittsburgh Steelers are limping into the playoffs on a four-game losing streak while the Cincinnati Bengals continue to have playoff life. And the Bengals are celebrating with a Pittsburgh anthem. After defeating the Steelers 19-17 Saturday night, the team played ‘Renegade’ in their locker room, per Bengals’ beat writer Paul Dehner Jr.
Of course, Renegade is the Steelers’ unofficial anthem played when the defense needs to make a big stop during a home game. It blared again tonight and Pittsburgh’s defense came through, rebounding after a shaky start. The Steelers forced the Bengals to punt late in the fourth quarter, and though the offense couldn’t initially do anything with the chance, Connor Heyward recovered a punt after it kicked off a Bengals player.
Despite two drives that could’ve given the Steelers the lead, they squandered their chances. The Heyward fumble turned into a 54-yard field goal attempt that Boswell nailed to cut the Bengals’ lead to 19-17. After another big defensive stop, the Steelers had an ugly two-minute drill. QB Russell Wilson scrambled instead of throwing the football away, he took a sack, missed WR George Pickens on a double move that got Pickens wide open, and TE Pat Freiermuth dropped a would-be fourth down conversion.
Games the Steelers have won in the past slipped through their fingers. Wilson and the offense struggled throughout, failing to score more than 17 points in their final four contests.
It’s salt in the wound as Cincinnati secured a must-have win. Pittsburgh will enter the playoffs on its longest season-ending losing streak since 1998. Most likely heading to Baltimore for the Wild Card round, the odds will be long for Pittsburgh to break their playoff drought.
The Bengals will fly high tonight and hope for the help they need Sunday. To make the postseason as the No. 7 seed, the Kansas City Chiefs must beat the Denver Broncos and the Miami Dolphins must lose to the New York Jets.
