Steelers Commentary Steelers Gameday
Saunders: Steelers Failed Twice in Lackluster Loss to Bengals
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers had two clear objectives on Saturday at Acrisure Stadium:
For one, they needed to beat the Cincinnati Bengals, securing at least the No. 5 seed in the AFC playoff picture, getting themselves a shot at the most-favorable possible playoff path, a Wild Card round trip to face the Houston Texans, and along the way, knocking a pesky rival out of the playoff picture.
For two, they needed to just find a way to gain some momentum and get the taste of a three-game December losing streak out of their mouths before entering the postseason.
They accomplished neither.
The Steelers lost to the Bengals, 19-17. Cincinnati is still alive in the AFC playoff picture. The Steelers will be forced to wait until the Los Angeles Chargers play on Sunday afternoon to learn their playoff fate, with the possibility of a first-round trip to visit the Baltimore Ravens looming large.
More importantly, this team is entering the playoffs in a free fall.
Losing to the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs is understandable. Those teams are on an elevated plane. The Steelers split with the Ravens, somewhat mitigating their loss in Baltimore. The losses themselves were not that damning.
Even going 1-1 with red-hot Cincinnati is not the death knell of a season. But despite being winners of four straight entering Saturday, Joe Burrow’s squad were far from unbeatable. From red zone woes two huge turnovers to six accepted penalties, the Bengals were much more the Bungles of old than the scary squad they’ve been.
Losing a close game where Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins did only things those players could do? That might’ve at least given the Steelers a bit of a boost entering the playoffs. Watching the Bengals literally kick the ball around at Acrisure Stadium and then celebrate by playing Renegade in the visitor’s locker room? The vibes, as the kids say, are bad.
This team has no aura. For a Mike Tomlin-led unit, it has a shocking lack of swagger. The patrons at Acrisure Stadium on Sunday seemed to sense it. When the Steelers made a fourth-quarter rally against Cincinnati, there was more gold in the stands from already-empty seats than twirling Terrible Towels.
It’s hard to blame them for their lack of faith. The Steelers were down just one score by the end of the game, but it was hard to ever believe they were going to win it. They feel like a team that has peaked.
“We can re-set, for sure,” tight end Pat Freiermuth said. “Whatever happened in the regular season, happened in the regular season. We just need to focus on the playoffs now and do whatever we can to beat whoever we play.”
It’s one thing to say it. It’s another to do it. I’m not writing the Steelers off. They certainly have the talent to beat a team like Houston or Baltimore, and they’ve proven that over the course of the season. Pulling a playoff win out of a hat next week wouldn’t completely erase the bad feelings of the last month of bad football, but it would certainly go a long way.
The Steelers had a tough road in December. That was undeniable from the day the schedule came out. The job for January was to not let that downturn become a season-ending malaise.
They only have one more shot to do it.
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