The Pittsburgh Steelers came crashing back down to Earth in Week 10 when they suffered an ugly 25-10 loss at the hands of the Los Angeles Chargers. Just one week after taking down the Indianapolis Colts in surprising fashion, the Steelers looked completely incapable of moving the ball on offense, which is a worrying sign for the team’s future prospects.
Heading into Week 11, Pittsburgh is gearing up for an important divisional matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. In their previous meeting this year, the Bengals handed the Steelers a surprising defeat, so you can bet this squad will be looking for some revenge. And in the grand scheme of the NFL playoff picture, superstar linebacker T.J. Watt knows just how critical this game is for his squad.
T.J. Watt Dishes on Steelers’ Meeting vs. Bengals
The Steelers met up with the Bengals back in Week 7, and the result was a surprising 33-31 victory for Cincy. While Pittsburgh had no problem moving the ball on offense, its defense could not buy a stop against the Bengals’ new-look offense, which was being led by veteran quarterback Joe Flacco for just the second time.
There were a lot of issues for the Steelers in this game, with part of the issue being a lack of production from Watt. In this game, Watt had just one tackle and 0.5 sacks, which is a fairly muted performance by his lofty standards. When Pittsburgh needed somebody to step up and rattle Flacco, Watt simply could not get the job done.
Of course, the loss doesn’t fall solely on Watt’s shoulders, but he’s earned some more heightened expectations throughout the course of his career. From his perspective, Watt thinks that the Steelers’ defense needs to find a way to limit the Bengals’ explosive plays and get them off the field more frequently than they did in their previous contest.
“A whole lot needs to be better,” Watt bluntly stated on Friday. “Stopping the run, first and foremost. Explosive plays, getting off the field, getting pressure. Even if the ball is coming out quick, we gotta get our hands up, and just do whatever we can to disrupt them.”
Steelers-Bengals Clash Could Have Major Playoff Implications
GettyPittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Early in the season, it seemed like the Steelers had the AFC North division wrapped up, but losses in three of their past four games have changed things. The Baltimore Ravens have stormed back into the conversation with three straight wins, and the Bengals are simply looking to stay in the hunt long enough so that they can make a playoff push once Joe Burrow gets back on the field.
With that in mind, this game is just as important for Cincy as it is for Pittsburgh. While the Steelers want to maintain their lead atop the division, the Bengals are going to be desperate to get back in the win column after throwing away a victory over the Chicago Bears the last time we saw them in action in Week 9. As a result, this game is going to be worth keeping tabs on once it gets underway at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday afternoon.
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