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Brooke Pryor, ESPN editor
PITTSBURGH — Standing behind a stage in the visitors’ cramped news conference room at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field, coach Mike Tomlin dismissed the idea of a loss turning into a crisis. THE Pittsburgh Steelers then lost two more matches over the next 10 days and now enters week 18 looking for a tourniquet to stop the bleeding.
No longer controlling their own destiny in the AFC North title race, the Steelers may not play to host a wild-card playoff game, but Saturday night’s outcome could be crucial in determining the fate of the team in the playoffs as it pursues the franchise’s first playoff run. winning since 2016.
Not only a victory against the Cincinnati Bengals (8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC) prepares for a more favorable first-round playoff matchup – perhaps facing a Houston Texans team instead of a third meeting with a push Baltimore Ravens group — but it could turn the tide for the Steelers as they enter the most critical, high-stakes period of the year.
“You want to approach the playoffs on a good streak, with everyone agreeing, cohesion,” security DeShon Elliott said. “Especially because it’s a one-game elimination situation. Every game counts. Every communication counts. You need to intensify the way we live our day.
That’s exactly what the Steelers did in the 10 days between the Christmas loss to the Kansas City Chiefs and Saturday night’s regular season finale.
Less than 24 hours after that loss, the Steelers reconvened at their practice facility for film review and frank, transparent discussions. After their mandatory three-day break, the team returned to the facility on Monday for its final work week of the regular season. Through spirited practices and additional visits, the Steelers worked to correct the issues of the last three games.
“There’s not a lot of open world”, security Minkah Fitzpatrick said of practice. “We didn’t have to come back on a lot of plays. Maybe just one from Wednesday, and we’ve been doing a lot of extra work while the offense is on the field, working on those communications, working on those adjustments.
But, of course, the real measuring stick won’t come until they take the field against a Bengals team fighting for a playoff spot.
‘We’re driven by winning games,’ defensive lineman Cameron Heyward said. “Our training only strengthens our fundamentals, but we won’t know it’s a good week until we win.”
The Bengals boast a top-five offense and a defense with 12 turnovers in a four-game winning streak, but facing Cincinnati could be a balm for a Steelers team trying to find its footing. Just a month ago, the Steelers were firing on all cylinders inside Paycor Stadium in a 44-38 victory.
Even though the defense gave up 38 points and 375 yards to Joe Burrow and the high-flying offensive, Russell Wilson and the Steelers squared off against the MVP candidate.
Even more encouraging, Wilson did it after the first drive ended abruptly in the wrong end zone as a cornerback. Cam Taylor-Britt intercepted Wilson’s third pass attempt of the day for a pick-six.
Wilson finished that day with 410 passing yards to 10 different receivers, and the running backs combined for 110 rushing yards. It was the Steelers’ highest yardage total since 2018 and Wilson’s third career 400-yard passing game — and first since leaving Seattle.
As the Steelers celebrated in the visiting locker room with jokes about the return of Wilson’s alter ego Mr. Unlimited and hangovers from Thanksgiving dinner, the momentum was squarely in their favor. This continued a week later in another all-around performance with a 27-14 home win over the Cleveland Browns.
But since then?
The good vibes have stopped.
It’s not just that the Steelers lost three games to teams with the top five Super Bowl odds, according to ESPN Bet, but that’s how they lost them. They allowed an average of 30 points per game while scoring just 13 per outing, and they had a turnover differential of -2 during that stretch. Frustration replaced jubilation in the postgame locker room as the Steelers stumbled.
“When guys are passionate about a game that we’ve been playing for so long,” Elliott said, “you don’t prepare yourself to lose. You prepare to win, and when you don’t, things can get frustrating.
The Steelers have been in a similar situation before. In 2020, the team started 11-0 before losing four of its final five regular season games and a lopsided 48-37 home wild card game against the Browns.
With one more chance to rectify their late-season slide in the regular season, the Steelers want to channel the recipe that helped them get off to a 10-3 start before the stakes get even higher.
“It’s just about playing good ball, and we’ve got to get back on good footing, play with good technique,” Heyward said. “We control what we can control, and I think going forward the ball just has to be played the right way. And no matter what happens outside of our stadium, we understand we’re in the playoffs, so just focus on what we need to focus on.