AFC North May Go Through Pittsburgh Steelers After Clutch Win Over Cincinnati Bengals

The 2022 Pittsburgh Steelers are not the same version of the team that limped into the playoffs last season.

The Steelers came out with a resounding 23-20 win over the defending AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals behind a dominant defensive effort. To say Pittsburgh’s new “Steel Curtain” defense was dominant is probably an understatement.

The Steelers forced one of the top quarterbacks in the league — Joe Burrow — into arguably his worst performance thus far as a pro. Burrow turned the ball over five times, including four turnovers in the first 25 minutes of the game.

While Pittsburgh almost blew a 14-point lead — largely due to a sluggish offensive showing — the Steelers defense came up with the biggest play of the game when they needed it.

With the Bengals threatening in field goal range late in overtime, Steelers cornerback Arthur Maulet sacked Burrow for a loss of seven yards, causing him to lose the football in the process. The play gave the Steelers yet another chance at winning the game, which they finally did behind a 53-yard field goal from Chris Boswell at the end of overtime.

There were multiple positives from this victory. We could point out how the Steelers won the game behind a ferocious pass rush that caused five turnovers. We could bring up how Pittsburgh defeating the defending AFC champs as a team predicted by many to finish last in the AFC North. We could even mention how the Mitch Trubisky-led offense didn’t commit a single turnover his debut with the team.

But most importantly, the Steelers made a statement with this season-opening victory over one of the NFL’s best teams — they’re still a contender.

“That was pretty crazy — the back-and-forth nature,” Trubisky said. “We found out a lot about this team. We battled, we stuck together. We have a lot to clean up, but we found a way in the end. Winning is fun.”

Pittsburgh suffered a few notable setbacks. Reigning Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt exited the game with what may be a torn pectoral injury. Adam Schefter of ESPN reported following the game that Pittsburgh believes Watt suffered a serious injury.

While the Steelers await the results for Watt’s injury, starting running back Najee Harris suffered what appeared to be another foot injury. Harris dealt with a Lisfranc fracture during preseason and was seen in a walking boot following the game.

The fact that the Steelers were able to gut out a win without two of their top stars show the key difference between this team and the one that squeaked its way into the playoffs last season.

The most notable difference? The fact that this defense is back.

The Steelers have always been known for its “Steel Curtain” defense. The backbone of Pittsburgh’s winning tradition has always been its defense. However, the Steelers had their worst defensive showing since 1991, whey they ranked 22nd in points allowed last season.

Burrow — who was sacked seven times and faced a relentless pass rush all day — gave his division rivals credit for their game plan.

“It’s frustrating,” Burrow said. “We came back in the second half. We finished strong. Give them credit. They had a good plan.”

While Pittsburgh does have their kinks to work on — they were 4-of-15 on third downs and scored a total of three points in the second half — the resilience of the squad in battling back from multiple setbacks is what was most impressive.

After being called for a questionable unnecessary roughness penalty on the Bengals’ go-to touchdown drive at the end of regulation, Minkah Fitzpatrick blocked what would have been the game-winning extra point.

Outside of that play of the game, Boswell bounced back after clanking a game-winning field attempt at overtime from 55 yards out to eventually hit the game winner from 53 yards out.

That’s not even mentioning the Steelers stopping the high-powered Bengals offense four consecutive times on goal-to-go situations with a turnover on downs late in the fourth quarter.

“I said they need to be what we need them to be,” Tomlin said following the game. “And so, we needed five (takeaways) today. That’s what great defenses do. You guys asked me to define great defenses. It’s a loose definition. They smile in the face of adversity, and they deliver necessary plays. That’s why I answered it a couple of days ago the way I did, and today is an example of that.”

The Steelers defense is back with a vengeance. And while teams like the Bengals and Baltimore Ravens may have more impressive offenses, the division may just have to go through Pittsburgh all over again.