This was the most important game of the season for the Pittsburgh Steelers and easily the team’s worst performance of the season. Pittsburgh went to Cincinnati this week and quickly showed just how overmatched they were against the Bengals. The Steelers fall to 5-5-1 after being blown out 41-10.
It is impossible to point to a single source for why the Steelers played so poorly. On offense, turnovers by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and zero effort by the offensive line completely neutralized both the run and the pass. With each passing drive, you saw the life just being sucked out of the offense.
If it is possible, the Steelers defense was actually worse than the offense. The Bengals, led by quarterback Joe Burrow and running back Joe Mixon just did whatever they wanted against a Pittsburgh defensive front seemingly incapable of stopping the run or rushing the passer.
The season might not be over for Pittsburgh but it’s getting close. If the Steelers can’t get past the AFC North-leading Baltimore Ravens next week, it might be time to pack it in and start looking ahead to next season. This team played with zero heart on Sunday and it showed.
