Can Steelers close regular season with a Bang?

By the time the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals kickoff on Saturday evening in Pittsburgh, Steelers Nation will already know if their team has a shot at winning the AFC North. That is because earlier in the day the Baltimore Ravens will host the Cleveland Browns and with a victory, the Ravens are division champions. 

This we know, the Steelers are already in the playoffs. If Baltimore prevails, which I expect them to, then it essentially renders the Bengals game meaningless. That is to Pittsburgh’s playoff standing. For Steelers players though, they don’t want to end the regular season with a whimper. Russell Wilson went public this week to say his team must take on a case of “amnesia.” He explained that by saying he and his teammates must forget past games in a matter of words.

More precisely, some of Wilson’s exact words were: “We don’t have time to run from adversity, we have time to run through it, we got to climb the wall, we go run through it. There’s no magic pill of getting around it. We just focus on the work, and we focus on the next pitch, the next play.”

Regardless of what happens in Baltimore, I believe in the Steelers players, and I honestly believe they do not want to lose to Cincinnati as well as having the chance to keep the Bengals at home next weekend. Mike Tomlin said his team is ready for Saturday:

“We got to get the stench of the last few performances off of us, and there’s no better way to do that than a home divisional win versus a formidable group going tin to the tournament, and so that’s our mentality as we stand here today.”

Talk is cheap so now Tomlin’s boys must go out and prove him correct. I believe they will. The team is nearly perfectly healthy with only Donte Jackson listed as questionable. For the Bengals, Tee Higgins is the biggest name on the questionable list. For Cincinnati to reach the postseason, here is what must happen:

The Bengals need a victory over Pittsburgh but must also have Denver lose to the Chiefs who have absolutely nothing to play for so essentially they are giving the Broncos the game by resting starters. Cincinnati also not only needs the win and a Denver loss, but Miami must also lose. 

If Pittsburgh wins, then it is either Miami or Denver getting the final wild card. For the Broncos, they must defeat the Chiefs and have the Steelers win but also the Dolphins to lose in New York to the Jets. As for Miami, no one would have thought they could get into the party but with a victory over the Jets and a Denver loss they are in. 

Offense vs. Offense

There are many saying Joe Burrow should be the league’s Most Valuable Player. Heading into Saturday he is first in the league in passing yards with 4,641 and at the top of the heap with touchdown passes having thrown 42 thus far. He has thrown just eight interceptions, which is incredible. He has been sacked only 32 times, yet his quarterback rating is only 89.8. 

On the ground Chase Brown is the leading rusher with 900 yards this season and to no one’s surprise Ja’Marr Chase is the leading receiver with a chance to win the triple crown of receiving in the NFL this season as he is first in receptions with 117, first in yards receiving with 1,612 yards, and first in touchdowns with 16. Tee Higgins chimes in behind him with 858 receiving yards and another 10 touchdowns. 

As for the Steelers, Najee Harris has already topped the 1,000-yard mark with 1,007 going into the final game. Jaylen Warren lags behind with 490 but his per carry average is better than his running mate (4.3 to 4.0). Warren also has better receiving numbers than Harris (310-263). Despite missing three games, George Pickens is the leading receiver with 900 yards and a per reception average of 15.5. But he has just three touchdowns and that is a number that vastly needs to improve next season. 

Pat Freiermuth was supposed to be a main target this season for Russell Wilson, but he has just 57 catches for 568 yards. Speaking of Russell Wilson, his future with the Steelers rides on these final two games and possibly more depending on the wild card game. In my opinion, he MUST ball out on Saturday. He is in dire need to prove something to himself and his coaching staff as well as Steelers Nation that he can be the Russell Wilson of old and not the man who got benched in Denver last season.

I still believe Wilson is not the future at the quarterback position and Justin Fields needs to be looked at closely and given more playing time to see if he can be an offensive leader under center while Tomlin looks for another quarterback that has franchise QB material.

Believe you, me, that come Saturday, Joe Burrow is going to come out firing. Pittsburgh’s defense better have an excellent game plan in store. In the shootout the last time the two teams played on December 1, a game won by the Steelers 44-38, Burrow completed 28 of 38 passes for 309 yards and three touchdowns but was also picked once and sacked four times. 

Russell Wilson on that day had a career day. His best outing as a Steeler resulted in 414 yards while throwing the ball the same number of times as Burrow and completing just one more than the Cincinnati quarterback did. He also threw for three scores and was also intercepted once but sacked just twice. His quarterback rating of 126.4 bested that of Burrow’s (112.7).

In that first meeting Cincinnati’s Chase Brown had a decent day with 70 yards but, more importantly, was carrying the rock for an average of 5.8 on each run. He added a 40-yard run and one score. Najee Harris outran Brown by five yards and his per carry was about a yard less at 4.7. Harris also scored once.

Should we expect another shootout at Acrisure Stadium?

Defense vs. Defense

Going into the final regular season game, Pittsburgh’s defense, which has been porous the last three games is still ranked 11th. At one point before the losing streak they were at the top built on their first 13 games which they won 10 of them. So, the question is “will the real Steelers defense please stand up?” 

Pittsburgh’s defense needs to return Saturday doing what they do best. Forcing turnovers. Despite not getting much of that in this three-game losing skid, the Steelers are still second in the league in fumble recoveries with 14 trailing only Buffalo by one. They are also second if forced fumbles with 20 with the Eagles at the top, forcing 22. 

The Minnesota Vikings have the most interceptions with 22 then comes Houston (19), Buffalo, Detroit, Green Bay, and the Steelers all with 16. Very un-Steelers like is their number of sacks. Thus far, just 36 on the season. They are way down the list with 21 teams ahead of them as Denver leads the pack with 58. Cincinnati has 32.

The Bengals’ defense overall is 27th in the league. Their secondary gives up 230 yards passing per game, and on opponents’ rushing attack, their defense yields 128 yards per outing. Pittsburgh’s secondary is a little deceiving with an average yield of 226.9 yards per game which is 11th best yet at times they seem to play better than that number. The Steelers rush defense remains one of the best. Giving up just 100.6 yards per game that ranks 7th best in the league.

On Saturday, the Steelers defense needs to play like they are a playoff ready team. They need to do just what Wilson said and have amnesia about all the previous 16 games. Head into the postseason like a Super Bowl contending team is supposed to play. That’s what we need to see. There are no excuses. The defense is nearly 100% healthy. It’s time to shine.

Intangibles

In what amounts to be possibly their final home game of the 2024 season unless the Ravens are shocked by Cleveland should present a raucous home crowd that is starving for a victory. The Steelers certainly cannot take Cincinnati lightly especially since at kickoff they won’t know their fate until the next day so they must do their part and defeat Pittsburgh. However, I think the Steelers have been embarrassed in the last three games, I think there is some good comradery among the guys in the locker room and while DeShon Elliott went public this past week with comments about his fellow defenders not doing their job, that struck a nerve on the defensive side of the ball. Elliott admitted perhaps those words should have been kept internally, the hope is it woke up his defensive teammates and they will come out and play like they should.

Prediction

With the Steelers reeling heading into next week’s playoff game and Mike Tomlin not wanting to go into a road game (if the Ravens win) losing four straight, I still believe this team is talented. Right now, they don’t belong among the AFC’s elite. Still, the Steelers do have pride. As Pittsburgh already has one win this season over Cincinnati and having home field advantage in this one with something to prove, I’m going with the Steelers.

Steelers 31 Bengals 27