27-20 was the final score, and I know the national talking point is that we should’ve won by a million given that the defense/special teams forced 6…yes S-I-X turnovers, but if you watched the same game that I watched then you should feel comfortable that the Steelers were the unequivocal better team in this game.

The 7-1 Indianapolis Colts are coming to the City of Steel for a game against the 4-3 Pittsburgh Steelers that has a chance to be a bloodbath. These two teams come into week 9 with extremely different vibes coming from both locker rooms and fan bases.

I aptly titled this post ‘The Worst is Yet to Come’, because we are only now getting to the meat of the schedule, and I’m not sure how the vibes could be lower.

On the injury front, the Steelers will be without WR Scotty Miller (finger), and C Zach Frazier (Calf) is listed as questionable, though it was reported earlier in the week that he intends to play. Calvin Austin III (shoulder) doesn’t have an injury designation, and will play for the first time since week 4.

We are coming off a few very good games in a row where the defense really looked the part, at times, and it’s unusual for it to completely fall apart the way that it did, but we all see Mike Tomlin’s record on Thursdays, and maybe he’s just not the coach for TNF.

The Bengals, losers of four straight games, are looking to tread water and avoid getting completely buried in the standings following an injury to their star QB, Joe Burrow. In the meantime, they traded for Joe Flacco, much to the chagrin of Mike Tomlin, and he’ll be their starter in tonight’s game.

That left side has struggled to pick up stunts at times this season, but it’s reasonable to expect their communication to continue to improve as this offensive line builds continuity with one another. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come.

Still, that 2020 playoff loss in Pittsburgh will weigh heavy in my brain for a long time, so I’m not moved by that “Browns haven’t won a regular season game in Pittsburgh since 2003” stat that has been circulated. I hate the Browns, and I wanna beat ‘em by 60 - just being forthright. 

Until the Ravens get healthy, the division goes through Pittsburgh, and that is NOT what realists were expecting coming into the season. It’s paramount that they capitalize on their positioning and take care of business against bad teams over the next two weeks. I think it will be the difference between hosting a playoff game in Pittsburgh and not.