As Russell Wilson took the final knee to solidify the Steelers’ 44-38 victory over the division rival Bengals in Cincinnati, I admit that I was still in shock. The Steelers’ offense—which, despite the team’s now 9-3 record, had been inconsistent at best entering Sunday’s contest—was responsible for thirty-seven points, tied for the most points the offense amassed this season with their performance against the Jets in Russell Wilson’s Pittsburgh debut. 

Now, I am not going to sit here and pretend that the Bengals’ defense is good. In fact, they are downright dreadful. Cincinnati allows 28.3 points-per-game (second-to-last in the NFL) and 369.2 yards-per-game (27th). 

These numbers illustrate the Bengals’ issues to a T. Despite quarterback Joe Burrow having an MVP-caliber season (67.7% completion percentage, 3,337 yards, 30:5 TD:INT ratio) and the Bengals ranking fifth and ninth in the NFL in points-per-game and yards-per-game, respectively, they are now 4-8, and their playoff chances are effectively zero. 

While I expected the Steelers to be able to score some points against the porous Bengals’ defense, I was certainly concerned about their ability to keep pace with the Bengals’ electric offense, which scored 27 or more points in each of the previous three weeks. 

I was (somewhat) correct. The Steelers’ defense was pretty poor. 31 of the Bengals’ 38 points were scored on offense (their defensive touchdown was an interception returned for six by Cam Taylor-Britt early in the first quarter, a play that probably should have been a defensive penalty due to Taylor-Britt grabbing George Pickens’ helmet immediately prior to picking off Russell Wilson’s pass). 

However, the defense did make some big plays. TJ Watt, after being completely invisible on Thursday Night Football against Cleveland, was a one-man wrecking crew. He had three total tackles (all of which were solo tackles for loss), two sacks, and a forced fumble. Nick Herbig, TJ’s counterpart on the other side of the line, also had a sack, tackle for loss, and forced fumble. Rookie linebacker Payton Wilson recovered both forced fumbles, returning the latter for a touchdown. Cornerback Donte Jackson intercepted a pass that was tipped at the line of scrimmage by Cameron Heyward (who also had five tackles and a sack). 

On the other hand, players like Joey Porter Jr. had nightmares. He committed a penalty almost every time the ball was thrown in his direction—including two penalties on one play at one point. For the most part, Cincinnati was able to move the ball up and down the field with relative ease, converting a second-and-sixteen, third-and-twenty-one, among other indefensible plays. 

The offense, though, was phenomenal. After being held to a mere 19 points against Cleveland, Russell Wilson and the guys exploded. After the initial pick-six (the validity of which is disputable), the Steelers only failed to score points on two drives, one of which was a blocked field goal. Wilson was incredible, throwing for 414 yards and three touchdowns—one to Pickens, one to Calvin Austin, and one to Pat Freiermuth—on 76% accuracy, which was 7.7% higher than expected, per Next Gen Stats. More importantly, Russ used the entire field, completing numerous passes across the middle of the field, the first time a Steelers quarterback has done so since Roethlisberger hung up his cleats. He also distributed the ball well, completing passes to ten different receivers, none of whom averaged below nine yards per reception. 

The running game was also effective. Excluding Wilson’s kneel downs on the last two plays of the game, the offense ran for 112 yards on 24 carries, averaging 4.67 yards per rush. The ability to pass the ball opened up the rushing lanes that made running the ball at a good clip feasible, and running the ball well opened up more holes in the Bengals’ passing defense. 

The game was not without incident, of course. The Steelers were up 41-24 and needed to recover an onside kick and gain a first down to cling to a six-point victory. George Pickens picked up two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties—one for dropping the ball on a defender (which I found to be extremely soft, but it is the rule), and the other for making a firearm-like gesture with his fingers—the latter of which ultimately led to Boswell’s blocked field goal on the first drive of the second half. 

As talented as Pickens is, he has to grow up. At a certain point, his immaturity and penchant for taking idiotic penalties will cost the Steelers a ballgame. At the same time, he is simply too good a player to take off the field. You also have to re-sign him because of this sheer talent and ability. I am not sure what the best approach is to reconcile his ability and personality is, but I think it has to be something tied into his contract—an incentive or disincentive of sorts. “If George does X, then he loses Y”, or something along those lines. 

As it stands, the Steelers are 9-3. They have a home game against Cleveland on Sunday. If they win and improve to 10-3, they will have a full two-game lead over the Ravens for first place in the AFC North with the latter on bye. This would be a crucial win heading into a ten-day stretch that features games against the Eagles, the aforementioned Ravens, and the Chiefs on Christmas Day. 

The message is simple. Beat Cleveland and send them back to the mistake of a state known as Ohio.