The Cincinnati Bengals wanted a win on Saturday night time to maintain their playoff hopes alive going into the ultimate day of the common season. They bought it within the type of a 19-17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Now they should hope for a Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins loss on Sunday.
Listed below are some takeaways from their win.
Knee-jerk response: The Steelers are in hassle
Whereas the Bengals conserving their playoff hopes alive is important, they nonetheless want numerous assist and are removed from a positive factor to make the playoffs.
The Steelers are within the playoffs, and so they wanted to indicate one thing on Saturday after three straight ugly losses to contenders.
Defensively, they did. They restricted one of many league’s greatest offenses and an MVP-caliber quarterback to solely 19 factors, pressured a turnover and sacked Joe Burrow a number of occasions.
It was a successful effort from that facet of the ball.
Sadly for the Steelers, their offense fully wasted it, struggling to generate any constant offense towards one of many worst defenses in soccer.
George Pickens dropped three passes, Russell Wilson led one of many ugliest two-minute drives conceivable, and so they did nothing as a bunch to indicate they might compete at a championship stage on the most important stage towards top-tier competitors.
If the protection performs this manner subsequent week, that will probably be adequate to provide them an opportunity towards both Houston or Baltimore.
The offense enjoying at this stage will give them an opportunity towards no one.
That has to scare them at crucial time of the season.
Sport MVP: Joe Burrow, quarterback, Cincinnati Bengals
This was removed from Burrow’s greatest sport of the season, and the absence of working again Chase Brown (and later huge receiver Tee Higgins) actually harm, nevertheless it was nonetheless a formidable displaying by Burrow to assist his staff in a must-win sport.
He was sensational on the sport’s first two drives, leading to 10 fast factors, and though he was beneath stress a lot of the night time, his elusiveness and talent to keep away from the push helped preserve some drives alive.
He does not all the time have to put up MVP numbers to play like an MVP.
That was the case on Saturday.
Turning level: Bengals cease the Steelers on fourth down earlier than halftime
The Steelers had an opportunity to get factors earlier than halftime and doubtlessly take the lead going into the break.
However a chaotic sequence of occasions that noticed them get stopped on two brief yardage performs, together with on a fourth down play deep in their very own territory, gave the Bengals a brief area to work with beneath a minute to play.
They ended up kicking a area purpose on the ultimate play of the half to take a 13-7 lead.
These three factors ended up being vital.
They had been arrange by one of many Bengals’ largest defensive performs of the season.
Goat of the sport: George Pickens, huge receiver, Pittsburgh Steelers
Pickens is a headache for the Steelers.
He’s their most proficient playmaker on offense and the one man that may flip a sport for them.
However he additionally makes too many psychological errors and is inconsistent together with his capability to get open and make contested catches. He was terrible on Saturday, dropping three passes, together with a deep ball down the sidelines that might have set the Steelers up for factors.
They want him to be a key participant for them to win. They want him within the lineup. In addition they want greater than what they bought from him on Saturday.
