The on-field team performance of the Pittsburgh Steelers, at this point in the season, closely resembles the mannerisms of fictional characters Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
You never know which Pittsburgh team will show up on any given game day. Will it be the good Steelers? The team with the offensive explosion, racking up yardage in the air and on the ground, scoring 30 plus points en route to a victory?
Or will it be the bad Steelers? A team whose defensive ineptitude, with its many holes reminiscent of a block of Swiss cheese allowing their opponent to run wild racking up the points? Coupled with a mistake-laden offense due to penalties, turnovers, quarterback sacks and squandered scoring opportunities.
Steeler Nation has seen the best and the worst of those worlds this season. It’s a trend that is not well received, especially by the fans in attendance both at home and on the road.
Quarterback Joe Flacco brings his Cincinnati Bengals to Acrisure Stadium Sunday for a pivotal division matchup against the Steelers.
A week 7 contest in Cincinnati was the first meeting of the year for two aging quarterbacks, 40- year-old Flacco and the Steelers’ 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers. Many fans took to social media labeling the contest as the “Icy Hot Bowl.”
Call it what you wish, label it as you want, the end result of that first meeting was Flacco got the best of Rodgers and company that night by a slim 33-31 margin.
After a costly holding penalty on the Steelers, Flacco engineered a game- winning drive, constantly moving the chains downfield. Flacco hit veteran receiver Tee Higgins after he got behind Steelers safety Jaylen Ramsey with under a minute left to play. Higgins smartly slowed down and slid to a stop forcing the Steelers to use a timeout.
Enter Bengals kicker Evan McPherson, who promptly launched a 36-yard field goal through the uprights with seven seconds remaining to notch Cincinnati’s come-from-behind win.
After that game, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin stated, “They made more plays than we did,” and highlighted the need to improve on situational plays like those in the red zone. Regarding his team’s overall performance in that game Tomlin said, “It’s frustrating…We just didn’t make the plays that we normally do.”
In anticipation of the upcoming week 11 game against Cincinnati, Tomlin said his defense is more stable, particularly in the secondary. He acknowledged the Bengals’ strong recent offensive performance, noting their high scoring and Flacco’s effective play.
Inching closer to this next matchup Tomlin spoke at his press conference about his defensive unit and the Bengals offense. Referring to his defense he said, “I’m feeling some stability there…I think there’s been a reduction in some of the big plays. I think we’re making people earn it more.” In reference to the Bengals offense, Tomlin noted that Flacco has been playing well and emphasized the importance of stopping their potent attack.
Rodgers commented on Sunday”s upcoming contest against Cincinnati, emphasizing the need for the team to rebound from recent struggles and the importance of seizing control of the AFC North Division. “You’ve just got to bounce back, get back to the things you do, and get back in your routine and try to be better each week. That’s the NFL.”
Rodgers and Co. need to be focused on a cleaner laser-sharp performance on both sides of the football this Sunday. Offensively and defensively this team needs to come together as one cohesive unit. Mistakes need to be held to a minimum, and touchdowns need to be scored inside the red zone without relying on an almost certain three points from the toe of kicker Chris Boswell.
This team has little margin for error from now throughout the rest of the regular season as the rejuvenated Baltimore Ravens have suddenly appeared in the Steelers’ rearview mirror. Their goal, as always, is to capture another division crown. Now that quarterback Lamar Jackson has returned to the starting lineup they are poised to inch closer to the top each week. Remember, the Steelers and Ravens have yet to meet this year.
Sunday is shaping up to be another classic duel with the Bengals; hopefully the “Good” Steeler team will show up and show out for this game.
Photos by Mike Longo Jr.
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