The Pittsburgh Steelers come up short against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football. Pittsburgh suffered an embarrassing 27-17 loss against Cincinnati, failing to clinch the AFC North division title, and falling behind the triumphant Bills in the playoff standings.
Right off the heels of last week’s other exciting AFC North Monday night matchup, this week’s Monday night football did not disappoint. Following back to back losses, the Steelers came into this game with a lot to show, but the Bengals decided that they had more to say. The first four drives saw three and outs for both teams, followed by a fumble by Pittsburgh. The Steelers’ defense managed to at least hold off a touchdown by Cincinnati, forcing them to go for a field goal. Despite this small victory, the Steelers’ usual iron-wall defense was unable to stop the Bengals from their constant attacks. They had an astonishing lead over the Steelers 17-0 at the half, and it was evident that the Steelers needed to turn it up in the second half. Once the second half whistle blew, they delivered and forced a three and out for the Bengals and put up 10 unanswered points. But the Bengals, showing much spirit and determination, decided they were not coming away with anything less than the win. They not only showed perseverance on their offense but toughness on defense as well.
After losing three straight games, the Steelers have a lot of work to do if they are to make it past the first round of the playoffs. They don’t have a dynamic offense, their plays remain predictable and they lack any significant running game. Their plays are particularly one dimensional and typically involves a screen pass to one of their wide receivers. The Steelers will need to include a lot more variety in their plays to be more of a threat on offense.
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