For the second time this season, the Steelers had a weekend off and gained ground.
Like the Jeffersons, they're moving on up.
The last time came during their bye week Oct. 21, when Baltimore, Cincinnati and Cleveland all lost, vaulting the Steelers (6-2-1) into first place in the AFC North standings.
The Steelers were off again Sunday after their 52-21 win over Carolina Thursday night at Heinz Field. And not only did the Bengals lose, getting hammered, 51-14, at home against New Orleans, but the Patriots faltered, as well, pushing the Steelers into the No. 2 spot in the AFC playoff race behind Kansas City.
The Steelers now own a 1 1/2-game lead over the Bengals (5-4) in the AFC North and a 2 1/2-game lead over the Ravens, who were on their bye this week.
The Patriots (7-3) had a six-game winning streak snapped with their 34-10 loss at Tennessee Sunday, dropping them behind the Steelers in the conference standings. The two teams meet Dec. 16 at Heinz Field.
The Steelers return to action next Sunday at Jacksonville, which defeated them twice in 2017 -- including in the playoffs. But Sunday's 29-26 loss at Indianapolis dropped the Jaguars to 3-6 and put their playoff hopes on life support.
Mike Tomlin gave the players off until Wednesday, when they will return to the practice field to begin preparations to travel to Jacksonville next Sunday. The Steelers also will know for certain at that time if they will move forward with or without running back Le'Veon Bell. Bell must report and sign his franchise tag offer by 4 p.m. Tuesday. If he does not, he cannot play in the league this season.
The Steelers also hope to have James Conner back on the field for Wednesday's practice. Conner suffered a concussion in the win over the Panthers and was placed in the league's concussion protocol. He did attend Saturday's Pitt win over Virginia Tech, appearing on the field to share time with players from his former school. That could be a sign that he's advancing through protocol.
The Steelers owned the NFL's fifth-most difficult remaining schedule entering the weekend.
