Steelers Need Consistency To Make Postseason Dream a Reality

The Pittsburgh Steelers went into Cincinnati with a 12-3 win-loss record against the Bengals on their home turf, dating back to the year 2000. It might be the most lopsided road-win record in the NFL.

That historical dominance of the Steelers over the Bengals continued on Sunday, with the visitors leaving with a 42-21 victory that keeps them relevant in a jammed-up AFC playoff race.

The Steelers clinched the win in the fourth quarter, when they scored 25 points in 9:51 seconds. They earned 229 of their total 543 yards in the game's final 15 minutes as well.

The Bengals kept things close until that final quarter, never trailing by more than seven points. Again, the Steelers secondary—especially cornerback Ike Taylor—was the biggest culprit. Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton completed 21 of his 29 pass attempts for 302 yards and two scores with no interceptions.

His biggest target unsurprisingly was receiver A.J. Green, who caught 11 passes on 15 targets for 224 yards and one touchdown, a career high. It's why head coach Mike Tomlin, via ESPN's Scott Brown, noted that despite the win the Steelers need to limit giving up big plays on defense.

Still, for all the big plays the Bengals offense put up, their defense struggled more against Pittsburgh's heavy-hitters. 

It was another big day for running back Le'Veon Bell. He had 26 carries for 185 yards and two rushing touchdowns as well as six catches for 50 more yards and another score.

As KDKA's Bob Pompeani points out, Bell's three straight games with 200 or more all-purpose yards is a feat that hasn't been accomplished in the NFL since Walter Payton did it in 1977.

Wide receiver Antonio Brown had 14 targets, nine catches and 117 yards. Fellow receiver Martavis Bryant had 109 yards on his four receptions, one a 94-yard touchdown catch-and-run in the fourth quarter to extend Pittsburgh's lead to 14 points.

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger completed 25 of his 39 pass attempts for 350 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions and no sacks. Collectively, the Steelers offense was 3-of-4 in the red zone.

It's fitting that Pittsburgh would have such a convincing win against the Bengals on Sunday. The victory fits a pattern the Steelers have been exhibiting dating back to last year: They have played well against their toughest opponents while falling flat against those they should have beaten handily.

Three of the Steelers' five losses have come against teams with losing records—their Week 4 27-24 home loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, their Week 10 20-13 defeat at the hands of the New York Jets and their Week 13 35-32 loss to the New Orleans Saints just after their bye. 

Meanwhile, three of their biggest wins have been against tough opponents. They defeated the Indianapolis Colts in Week 8, 51-34, and followed that up with a defeat of the Baltimore Ravens, 43-23, in Week 9. Now, the Bengals are the latest potential playoff contender to fall against Pittsburgh.

While it's good news for the Steelers' playoff hopes that they can defeat quality opponents, their inability to take down weaker ones might be what keeps them out of the postseason. The Steelers have the currently 5-7 Atlanta Falcons ahead in Week 15—a Falcons team that could be, by then, 5-8 after Monday night's meeting with the Green Bay Packers.

Though the Steelers close out the season with the above-.500 Kansas City Chiefs and the Bengals, the Falcons game is the most worrisome. That shouldn't be the case for a team in position for a postseason berth, but that's just the kind of team the Steelers are this year.

Week	Opponent	Outcome
Week 4	vs. Buccaneers	L, 27-24
Week 10	@ Jets	L, 20-13
Week 13	vs. Saints	L, 35-32
Week 8	vs. Colts	W, 51-34
Week 9	vs. Ravens	W, 43-23
Week 14	@ Bengals	W, 42-21

While it would be easy for nearly any 8-5 team to look at the Falcons as an almost guaranteed win, that's not the case for the Steelers. A loss to the Falcons would be a huge hit to their playoff hopes, especially with two tough contests to close out the season.

Even if the Steelers get the better of the Chiefs and of the Bengals for a second time, that may not be enough. The Baltimore Ravens are also 8-5 in the AFC North, and despite Sunday's loss, the Bengals are still in control of the division at 8-4-1. 

Team	Record	Div. Record
Bengals	8-4-1	2-2
Steelers	8-5	3-2
Ravens	8-5	2-3
Browns	7-6	2-2

That's why the Steelers need to find the consistency they've lacked throughout the season in these final weeks. The AFC North has generally had success this season against the NFC South, with the South's teams a combined 2-11-1 against the North. 

Those two wins, however, came against the Steelers. Pittsburgh has struggled this year against the NFL's worst division. That cannot be the case next week if they are to be taken seriously as postseason contenders.

It's almost as though the Steelers' manhandling of the Bengals was not much of a surprise. Historically, it's what the Steelers do in Cincinnati, and it's what the Steelers of 2014 have done against their most formidable opponents.

The real test is whether they can continue their dominance against the five-win Falcons. While that seems far-fetched after what the Steelers did on Sunday, the maddening lack of consistency they have shown this year has made this their biggest priority as Week 14 gives way to Week 15.