The Pittsburgh Steelers are fortunate to have won 10 games early in the season, but they might be stuck with that number heading into the offseason.
The team has been struggling, and their performance continued to be poor, especially on offense. On Saturday night, they lost 19-17 to the Cincinnati Bengals, who kept their slim playoff hopes alive. This marked the fourth consecutive game for the Steelers where they never led.
The Steelers had a chance to win with a field goal at the end, but their drive stalled before reaching midfield. The game ended when Pat Freiermuth dropped a pass on fourth down, which sums up the Steelers’ struggles over the past month.
The Bengals (9-8) needed to win and then rely on other results. They needed the Kansas City Chiefs to beat the Denver Broncos and the New York Jets to beat the Miami Dolphins (or a tie) to secure a wild-card spot.
For the Steelers (10-7), they are still in the playoffs but will face the Baltimore Ravens next week if the Los Angeles Chargers beat the Las Vegas Raiders. If the Chargers lose, the Steelers will play the Houston Texans on the road.
It might not matter who the Steelers face; they haven’t shown they can beat a playoff-level team lately.
The Steelers started the game poorly after losing three games in a row. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow quickly led his team down the field, and cornerback Cory Trice Jr., making his first career start, struggled to cover Ja’Marr Chase, who caught a 12-yard touchdown.
Burrow was perfect on the drive, completing all six of his passes. He went on to complete 12 passes in a row before finally missing one.
After the touchdown, the Steelers had another quick three-and-out, continuing their offensive troubles. Pittsburgh hadn’t led a game since their Week 14 win over the Cleveland Browns, which was on Dec. 8. For a team that was once 10-3, their December performance was disappointing, and their start to January wasn’t much better.
The Steelers got some offense going and cut the deficit to 10-7 with a touchdown from Najee Harris. However, they made several mistakes. They fumbled a punt return, but an interception by Beanie Bishop Jr. helped them avoid more trouble.
Later, the Steelers went for it on fourth-and-1 at their own 37-yard line but were stopped, allowing Cincinnati to set up for a field goal before halftime.
The Bengals made the field goal, giving them a 13-7 lead. The Steelers had only 75 yards in the first half, with Russell Wilson completing just four passes for 45 yards. They didn’t reach 100 yards of total offense until the fourth quarter.
The Steelers should have been down 10-7 at worst by halftime, but their mistakes cost them. This has been the story for the team over the past month.
The Bengals’ situation has been quite different. They have won five games in a row, keeping their playoff chances alive.
Cincinnati had to fight hard on Saturday night. They should have sealed the game when they took a 19-7 lead. With less than six minutes to go, they forced a Steelers punt and were ahead 19-14. But then a strange turnover gave the Steelers another chance. A Steelers punt hit Bengals cornerback D.J. Ivey, who was blocking, and Pittsburgh recovered the ball.
Trey Hendrickson, who leads the NFL in sacks before Sunday’s games, made a crucial sack that helped stop the Steelers’ drive, forcing them to settle for a field goal.
The Steelers got another chance to win. They sacked Burrow right at the two-minute warning on third down, forcing a punt. Pittsburgh then moved the ball downfield with a third-down catch by Freiermuth.
But Wilson was stopped on a run, then sacked again by Hendrickson, and missed an open George Pickens. On fourth down, Freiermuth had a pass go off his hands, and that ended the game.
Burrow has played well throughout the season, and he, along with teammates like Chase and Tee Higgins, has managed to push through many issues to finish with a winning record. The Bengals (9-8) still need the Chiefs, who will be resting their starters, and the 4-12 Jets to win on Sunday for a chance at the playoffs.
If Cincinnati doesn’t make it, people might focus less on their five-game winning streak, which included lucky wins against the Cowboys and Broncos, and more on how a team with an MVP-level quarterback could miss the playoffs.
As the regular season comes to a close, the Bengals are still in the race. They’ll be rooting for the Jets and Chiefs on Sunday.
