Until recently, the Russell Wilson and Pittsburgh Steelers were very successful against winning teams. Since then, of course, they have lost three games in a row to teams that will be high playoff seeds. And suddenly many are questioning whether they even look like a playoff team despite qualifying for the postseason.
The Steelers know that they have another fight on their hands before they get to the playoffs. That would be against the Cincinnati Bengals, who, with some luck, can still make it themselves. They are the team other teams don’t want to get in because of their potent offense. Riding a four-game winning streak thanks to an improving defense, they finally look formidable as a team. That’s one of the reasons Russell Wilson is looking forward to playing them just before the playoffs.
After all, Wilson and the Steelers managed to outgun Joe Burrow last time in a 44-38 win. “That was a great game for us”, he said, via transcript provided by the Steelers. “I think for four quarters, we battled. We responded early, and you think about responding because they made plays on their side, we responded again”.
“Some of these games, especially in the AFC North, they’re heavyweight fights and they’re battles. And as we go further, it’s going to be like that, too”, Wilson continued. And he is right, of course. The teams the Steelers will see in the playoffs will be tough outs. Arguably the Houston Texans are the worst team they might face. They already know what playing the Ravens and Chiefs is like, and they don’t want to play the Bills.
The last time the Steelers played the Bengals, Russell Wilson played one of his best games. He went 29-of-38 passing for 414 yards and three touchdowns. While he threw a pick-six, it was of a highly questionable nature.
But most importantly, the Steelers responded, and continued to respond. After Wilson threw a pick-six in George Pickens’ direction, they came back with a touchdown pass to Pickens. After a Chase Brown rushing touchdown, Calvin Austin III scored on a 23-yard reception. They met a Ja’Marr Chase touchdown with a touchdown by Najee Harris. And then they preserved the lead for the rest of the game. At one point, they went on a 27-3 run and won by six.
“We did some great things”, Wilson said of the Steelers’ last game against the Bengals. “We scored touchdowns in crucial situations. We answered and we didn’t blink. And we can’t blink now”.
For the Steelers, they know they have another game coming. The Bengals need to win on Saturday and then get help to get into the playoffs. But you know Russell Wilson would love to outscore an elite quarterback like Joe Burrow again.
