PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Steelers and their struggling defense could be at full strength for the regular season finale against Cincinnati.
Coach Mike Tomlin said Monday he is hopeful cornerback Joey Porter Jr. will be available when the Steelers (10-6) host the Bengals (8-8) on Saturday night. Porter missed a 29-10 loss to Kansas City on Christmas Day with a knee injury.
Patrick Mahomes dominated Pittsburgh’s secondary for 320 yards and three touchdowns as the Steelers dropped their third consecutive series and lost control of the AFC North. The only way the Steelers can win the division is by beating Cincinnati, coupled with a loss in Baltimore at home to Cleveland earlier Saturday afternoon.
Pittsburgh’s defense has given up more than 400 yards per game during the slide, with several players saying the type of communication breakdowns that occurred against the Chiefs simply can’t happen this time of year. Tomlin called that kind of heated rhetoric a byproduct of the defense’s passion.
“They bicker because they care,” Tomlin said. “And we didn’t play well. And often the solution comes from conflict and confrontation, especially if you are in the business we are in.”
Tomlin wrote down some of the issues that have crept in lately as injuries have forced Porter and starting safety DeShon Elliott to miss time. Elliott played against the Chiefs and if Porter is available, the Steelers should have their usual starting XI on defense on Saturday, a luxury 18 weeks into the season.
Pittsburgh managed to defeat the Bengals in a 44-38 shootout on December 1. Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow passed for 309 yards and three scores.
The Bengals have won four in a row to mathematically stay alive for the postseason, although they will need some help to play beyond this weekend.
The Steelers are already assured of reaching the playoffs for the fourth time in five years. Still, they were practiced three times in 11 days by Philadelphia, Kansas City and Baltimore, although Tomlin is trying to strike an optimistic tone.
“The road is getting narrow and it’s good to be in the position we’re in,” he said. “Certainly, we could be in a better position. But by the same token, we could also be in a worse position. And so we are where we are.”
Tomlin said he hasn’t given much thought to how the outcome of the Ravens-Browns game could affect his schedule. The Steelers could clinch the top wild card spot in the AFC with a win in the season finale or a Los Angeles Chargers loss to Las Vegas. The fifth seed would mean a first-round trip to struggling AFC South champion Houston instead of a return to Baltimore, where the Steelers lost 34-17 on Dec. 21.
Leave a Reply