In what may have been their last home game of the season, the Steelers limped into the postseason after falling to the Cincinnati Bengals by a score of 19-17. The loss not only helped keep the Bengals' playoff hopes alive, but a win by the Los Angeles Chargers could potentially see them fall to the 6th seed in the AFC playoff picture.
Perhaps the first offensive sequence of this contest served as a foreshadowing of what was to come. In this case, quarterback Joe Burrow and his crew drove the length of the field and completed a drive to receiver Ja'Marr Chase to give them a quick 7-0 lead. For much of the contest, Burrow had little issue finding his pass catchers and exposing the Steelers' defense, who had their fair share of issues with both Chase and tight end Mike Gesicki.
The Steelers' offense, on the other hand, could get little going for much of the contest. To put it into perspective, the Steelers had only 91 yards of total offense by the time they reached their second offensive possession in the fourth quarter. The good news was the Steelers turned that into a 9-play, 65-yard scoring drive to cut the lead to five.
Following a big play on special teams by Steelers tight end Connor Heyward, the Steelers' offense failed to convert their good fortune into a touchdown, but would settle for a field goal to cut the lead to just two points. After Benton's sack ended the Bengals' drive, the Steelers had a chance to potentially win the game. Eventually, quarterback Russell Wilson failed to convert with tight end Pat Freiermuth on fourth down to end the game.
The Steelers end their regular season with a 10-7 record while carrying a four-game losing streak. To say the least, the team has been outcoached on both sides of the ball for the latter portion of a month, which does not bode well for their chances of making a playoff run. What has been especially concerning has been the play of Wilson, who finished the game with just 17 completions for 148 passing yards. Most notably, he had no success connecting with his best offensive weapon, George Pickens, who finished the game with zero receiving yards on one reception.
The lone standout on offense was Freiermuth, who finished with 85 yards on eight receptions and a touchdown. On defense, linebacker Patrick Queen was arguably their most impactful player, finishing with a sack, a pass deflection that defensive back Beanie Bishop Jr. turned into an interception, and five total tackles. Defensive tackle Cam Heyward registered three pass deflections, while rookie linebacker Payton Wilson recorded 10 total tackles, with one of them for a loss.
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