After a month of running a gauntlet of good teams while beating the Browns, Titans and Ravens in consecutive weeks, the Steelers struggled through their third consecutive road game in edging the Cowboys last Sunday.
Now, however, they return to the friendly confines of Heinz Field, where they have been downright dominant at times, winning their first four home games by an average score of 32.5-19.5.
At a franchise-record 8-0, the Steelers start the second half of their 2020 schedule hosting a familiar foe, the Bengals (2-5-1), a team with a whole new look.
Thing is, despite being the lone unbeaten in the league, the Steelers still aren't getting much respect. And certainly after slipping past the hapless Cowboys last week in a game in which they trailed until there were just over 2 minutes left to play, there are reasons for the questions.
The Steelers? They don't care.
"They hate us 'cause they ain't us," Cam Heyward said this week. "We don't really care what is going on outside. We've got to focus in. If it doesn't look pretty, who cares? We're 8-0. It's our job to keep stepping up week in and week out. We hold ourselves to a higher standard. For all of the guys saying it's got to look like this, all I have to say is the Super Bowl hasn't been determined.
"Our job is to make the playoffs and then win Super Bowl. So, I am going to leave it at that."
To do that, they've got to keep winning games like this and clearing the bumps in the road caused by the NFL season -- and COVID-19.
Injuries, you can expect. And the Steelers have had their share of those, losing right tackle Zach Banner and inside linebacker Devin Bush for the season to torn ACLs along with various other players here and there for a game or two. But playing football in a pandemic offers its own special circumstances, and the Steelers have dealt with their share of those, as well.
They've already had one game postponed, their bye week moved and, this week, had to deal with not having Ben Roethlisberger and Vince Williams, along with reserve offensive lineman Jerald Hawkins and running back Jaylen Samuels, available to practice this week after they came in close contact with Vance McDonald. McDonald, who remains on the reserve/COVID list, tested positive for coronavirus last Sunday and contact tracing showed those four players had been in close proximity to him for more than 15 minutes.
But the foursome was cleared to return to the team Saturday morning and Roethlisberger and Williams are expected to start against the Bengals.
Roethlisberger did something similar in 2015 when he was coming back from a foot injury and was available only in an emergency behind Landry Jones in a game against the Browns. Jones was injured in the first quarter of that game and Roethlisberger entered and threw for 379 yards and three touchdowns despite not practicing all week. It remains the most yards thrown for by a quarterback who did not start a game.
His unavailability at practices this week led to a lot of text messages between himself and offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner and quarterback coach Matt Canada.
"When you’re in the meeting room, you know everyone is dialed in," Roethlisberger said. "You know what’s going on. You can communicate a little bit easier in person. The hard part was practice. I couldn’t communicate at all. Everything was taped and sent to me. There’s no sound to it. There were a lot of texts to Coach Randy, Coach Canada. ‘What was this?’ ‘What was said here?’ ‘What do you think about this?’ Just trying to find any way to communicate. There were a lot of text messages at night with those guys."
The Steelers thus far have adapted as well as anyone this season, getting off to their 8-0 start despite all of the obstacles. The Bengals will be the latest.
And with rookie quarterback Joe Burrow, they present a new challenge. The top pick in this year's draft, Burrow has shown himself to be a tough competitor who has kept the Bengals in nearly every game. Cincinnati has already matched its win total from 2019.
A win over the Steelers would be a major stepping stone for the young team.
"Yeah in, year out, I always talk about how bad I want to beat those guys, despite that being where I'm from," said Bengals receiver Tyler Boyd, a Clairton native who played at Pitt. "It's just a team that I've never beaten yet. It wouldn't be right if I ended my career not beating them at all, which I don't think will happen. But each and every time we play the Steelers, I just notice how tough the game is going to go and how much I want to win."
The Steelers want to make sure that doesn't happen this time around.
They've got bigger plans this season, though they aren't looking at the big picture just yet, despite their historic start.
"We're just trying to go 1-0 every week," said James Conner. "We acknowledge that we are 8-0, and it's our first time in team history and some of the best teams assembled in NFL history, in the world, came through the Pittsburgh Steelers. For us to be 8-0 is special."
But there's still plenty of work to be done. And that starts today against the Bengals. It's the only thing they're concerned about.
"One of the things that 2020 has taught us is we better appreciate today," Mike Tomlin said.
THE ESSENTIALS
• Who: Steelers (8-0) vs. Bengals (2-5-1)
• When: 4:25 p.m. Eastern
• Where: Heinz Field
• Forecast: 58°, 80% chance rain
• TV: WPGH, FOX (national)
• Radio: 102.5 WDVE, ESPN Pittsburgh
• Streaming: Steelers Nation Radio
• Satellite: Sirius XM 81, online 226
• Boxscore: NFL Game Center
• Media notes: Steelers | Bengals
THE INJURY REPORT
Steelers: CB Mike Hilton (shoulder, questionable), RB Anthony McFarland (illness, questionable), G Kevin Dotson (illness, questionable), DL Isaiah Buggs (ankle, questionable)
Bengals: RB Joe Mixon (foot, out), DT Geno Atkins (personal, out), RT Bobby Hart (knee, out), CB Darius Phillips (groin, out), CB LeShaun Phillips (concussion, out), WR John Ross (foot, out), LT Jonah Williams (shoulder, questionable).
THE KEY VARIABLE
The Steelers rushed for more than 100 yards in each of their first five games. Conner had three 100-yard rushing games in that stretch, while backup Benny Snell had one.
Since then, the Steelers have seen their running game produce 94, 48 and 46 yards in successive weeks. Game script has played a part in that. The Steelers have trailed in the past two weeks against the Ravens and Cowboys.
But they've also struggled in some short-yardage situations, with Snell and Anthony McFarland getting stopped on short-yardage situations in the second quarter against the Cowboys, and Conner, who had converted one in the first quarter, failing in the fourth quarter.
The offensive line isn't happy about that.
"They're spitting the bit. They know it," offensive line coach Shaun Sarrett said. "It starts at the top. We were below par on all of it. That's something these guys take great pride in and the coaches take great pride in it. We're the same way. We're just going to keep working at it, and we're going to make it better.
"We've got to get better at it. They know we've got to get better at it. It was jelling early, and it just happens sometimes. We just have to keep working."
Having a running game to supplement Roethlisberger's passing would be beneficial, especially with the quarterback coming off a week of not being able to practice. And the Steelers have averaged 135.8 yards per game on the ground in their previous four home games.
The Steelers have been overly reliant on Roethlisberger in recent weeks to make the offense go. The quarterback has been up to the task, but generating some offense on the ground would take some of the pressure off the 38-year-old quarterback.
"There’s a fine line because it comes down to a little more finish in all areas from a blocking standpoint," said Fichtner. "Lots of times it’s ball placement. Sometimes, it’s potentially even to check and get him to a different type of concept. If they’re trying to stop the run and there are a lot of x amount of defenders, if you will, to be in a box, that will force you to throw the ball. Sometimes you want to insert your will, if you will. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. We’re not de-emphasizing that, I can promise you that. We are actually putting more time into it this week because we’ve had the time to be able to do that."
Conner, who has scored a touchdown in nine consecutive home games, has 90-plus total yards in three-straight games against the Bengals. He had 83 receiving yards and 42 rushing last season at Heinz Field against the Bengals in Mason Rudolph's second career start.
There should be room to run against Cincinnati, as well. Former All-Pro defensive tackle Geno Atkins won't play in this game because of a personal issue. And the Bengals allow 5.2 yards per carry and 144.3 yards per game on the ground.
Then again, the Cowboys were dead last in the league against the run going into last week before the Steelers managed a season-low 46 yards on 18 carries (2.6 yards per attempt) last week.
"You've just got to come to work every day, even though their numbers are whatever they are," said Conner. "It's the NFL. You've got to prove it every day."
THE HISTORY LESSON
When the Bengals selected Carson Palmer with the first-overall pick in the 2003 draft, they did so with the idea of not playing him at all that season. To their credit, the Bengals stuck with that plan, allowing Palmer to sit and learn in his rookie season behind Jon Kitna.
But in 2004, Palmer took over as Cincinnati's starter and Oct. 3, 2004, the hotshot young quarterback came to Heinz Field to face the Steelers, who had a young quarterback of their own starting the game.
Roethlisberger had taken over the starting job from an injured Tommy Maddox two weeks prior in a loss to the Ravens and was coming off his first career start. Palmer, meanwhile, had started the Bengals' first three games, leading them to a 1-2 start.
Early on, it looked like both young quarterbacks were setting things up for a shootout.
A Duce Staley fumble on the first play of the Steelers' second possession set up a 2-yard touchdown pass from Palmer to running back Jeremi Johnson, but Roethlisberger and the Steelers quickly tied the game at 7-7 on a 1-yard Jerome Bettis run set up by a 30-yard catch by Plaxico Burress.
Roethlisberger then gave the Steelers a 14-7 lead two plays into the second quarter, throwing an 11-yard touchdown pass to Verron Haynes.
The Bengals cut into that lead to make it 14-10 with a Shayne Graham field goal, but the Steelers threatened to extend the lead right before the half, driving to the Cincinnati 42 with 12 seconds remaining. Roethlisberger, however, threw two-straight incompletions to Burress and the Steelers ran out of time in the first half.
Cincinnati grabbed a 17-14 lead on the opening possession of the second half, as Palmer directed a 71-yard scoring drive capped off by a 2-yard Rudi Johnson touchdown run.
Late in the third quarter, the Steelers got the ball back and Roethlisberger went to work, directing an 89-yard touchdown drive that carried over into the fourth quarter. Bettis again scored on a 1-yard plunge as the Steelers regained the lead, 21-17 with 9:06 remaining.
The two teams traded punts and the Bengals got the ball back with 2:19 remaining at their own 20. That's when Troy Polamalu, the Steelers' top pick in the draft a year before and Palmer's roommate at USC, stepped in front of a pass intended for T.J. Houshmandzadeh and returned it 26 yards for a touchdown, the first of Polamalu's Hall of Fame career.
Game. Set. Match.
The Steelers improved to 3-1 with the win, while the Bengals fell to 1-3.
Palmer completed 20 of 37 passes but for just 164 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Johnson had 24 carries for 123 yards and a score.
Roethlisberger was much more efficient, going 17-for-25 for 174 yards and one touchdown, while also running six times for 30 yards. Staley recovered from his early fumble to pick up 123 yards on 25 carries.
Larry Foote had 11 tackles and free safety Chris Hope 10 for the Steelers, while Polamalu added six tackles and two pass defenses.
GETTY.
The Bengals' Joe Burrow.
THE MAIN MATCHUP
When Roethlisberger starts, the Steelers beat former Heisman Trophy winners. In fact, over the past 10 seasons, they've faced a former Heisman winner eight times with Roethlisberger at quarterback. They're 8-0 in those games.
Growing up in Findlay, Ohio, Roethlisberger probably dreamed of winning the Heisman. But players at Miami (Ohio) don't usually win the award given to college football's best player.
It usually goes to a player from somewhere such as Ohio State. Or LSU. Burrow played at both schools, transferring from Ohio State to LSU. And, like Roethlisberger, he's a small-town Ohio kid, having grown up in Athens, Ohio.
He also was the top pick in this year's draft and has shown he was deserving of that selection.
In Week 7, Burrow became the first rookie quarterback in NFL history with at least 400 passing yards, three passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown in a single game. And his five 300-yard passing games thus far are tied for the second-most by a rookie in a season in NFL history behind Andrew Luck's six.
Burrow has the rest of the season to break that record. The Steelers would like to make sure he doesn't tie it in this game.
This will be the eighth time since 1950 that a rookie quarterback will face an unbeaten team in Week 10 or later. They've only won one of those games, that coming from Mark Sanchez in 2009 when he beat the 14-0 Colts.
Burrow is better than Sanchez.
"I think he gets rid of the ball well. I think he has a good delivery," Steelers defensive coordinator Keith Butler. "I think he doesn’t hold on to the ball. I think he tries to get pre-snap reads and pre-snap keys, and if he does, the ball is coming out fast."
When he doesn't get it out fast, it's trouble.
Burrow has been sacked 28 times already this season, the second-most in the NFL. Cincinnati's offensive line is not good, and the Steelers lead the NFL with 32 sacks. He's thrown just five interceptions against 11 touchdown passes. But he has fumbled eight times.
"He gets fooled a little bit and the ball doesn’t come out as fast sometimes," Keith Butler said. "That’s where we have to get to him a couple times if we can. Our guys know what they have to do in the secondary. He throws the ball well. He usually gets it to the open guy. He usually throws it to the right guy according to his read. Our thing is we have to make sure we cloud up the reads for him."
Even then, Burrow has shown good poise for a quarterback who didn't have an offseason program or preseason from which to learn. He's missed just one snap for the Bengals this season and has kept them in all of their games -- save a 27-3 loss to the Ravens in Week 5.
The Steelers have been impressed.
"I love his poise in the pocket. I love the way he fights for extra yardage on play," Heyward said. "He’s a competitor. You can say he’s a physical specimen and can throw the ball. But he wants to win. I know their record doesn’t reflect that, but the dude comes out and competes every time he’s on the field."
And he's got good weapons with which to work. Boyd has developed a chemistry with Burrow and has been one of the better slot receivers in the league, catching 54 passes for 584 yards and three touchdowns. Rookie Tee Higgins, the Bengals' second-round pick, has 33 receptions for 488 yards and three scores. Former All-Pro A.J. Green hasn't gelled quite as well with Burrow, but it's still a dangerous passing game.
"If you watch the tape, he has great pocket savviness, the way he moves around and does things," Steelers defensive line coach Karl Dunbar said. "It’s going to be on us to try and keep him in the pocket, but I think that’s the thing being a young quarterback, even though I think he has taken a lot of sacks, because I think in one game I think he threw the ball 72 times. But just his awareness in the pocket and try to keep the play alive (is impressive)."
THE TEN DATA POINTS
• The Bengals are allowing 19.2 percent of the completions against them to go for 20 or more yards gained, the worst in the league. The Steelers are 31st at 19.1 percent.
• Roethlisberger's 6.7 yards per attempt average this season is the lowest of his career.
• The Bengals are averaging 72 offensive plays per game, which is third-most in the NFL.
• The Steelers have a sack differential of plus-22, the largest in the NFL. They have 32 sacks and have given up 10. The Bengals are deal last at minus-17.
• The Bengals average 1.5 yards per carry less than their opponents, the worst in the NFL. The Bengals allow 5.4 yards per carry to opposing running backs and 5.2 yards per carry overall.
• Burrow leads the NFL with 46.8 dropbacks to pass per game.
• Diontae Johnson has gained 190 of his 312 receiving yards in the five full games he has played after the catch.
• The Bengals allow 5.8 catches per game to the tight end position, which is 28th in the league.
• In his past three games against the Bengals, T.J. Watt has 3.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
• The Bengals have scored 164 points in their 13 games at Heinz Field since Tomlin became head coach in 2007, going 2-11 and averaging 12.6 points per game.
THE FANTASY CORNER
Winner, winner chicken dinner. My lineup last week won the contest I entered on Draft Kings with 178.0 points. Josh Allen, Dalvin Cook, Jakobi Meyers and Stephon Diggs were all very solid plays. We'll try to do it again this week. As I did last year, I'm going to build a fantasy lineup using Draft Kings and a $50,000 salary cap.
Quarterback: Jared Goff, Rams ($6,500) -- Goff has had either 320 passing yards or two touchdown passes in his past six games. And he faces Seattle's awful pass defense.
Running back: Duke Johnson, Texans ($5,000), James Robinson, Jaguars ($5,100) -- Duke Johnson will get the start against the Browns with David Johnson out. He got 20 touches last week. Robinson gets the Packers' run defense, which has been spotty, at best.
Wide receiver: Tee Higgins, Bengals ($5,500), John Brown, Bills ($5,300), Cooper Kupp, Rams ($6,900) -- The Steelers struggle against deeper passes, and that's where Higgins excels. Brown gets me a piece of what should be a shootout between the Bills and Cardinals. Kupp stacks with Goff in the matchup with the Seahawks.
Tight end: Eric Ebron, Steelers ($4,400) -- At $4,400, Ebron is a steal at tight end this week against the soft middle of the Bengals defense.
Flex: Giovanni Bernard ($5,400) -- Bernard has been a PPR machine with Joe Mixon out.
Defense: Steelers ($4,400) -- I'm paying up at defense in this game. The Steelers should get a bunch of sacks.
Our football staff predicts the game:
Dale Lolley (7-1): A lot of Steelers fans are concerned about this game, but the game last week against the Cowboys was more of the one with which to be concerned. You can bet they'll be ready to go for an AFC North game. They want to send a message to young Mr. Burrow that they're the big dogs in the division. Burrow was sacked eight times by the Eagles, seven times by the Ravens. The Steelers have a better pass rush than both of those teams. And that was with now-injured starting right tackle Bobby Hart in the lineup. Hart isn't good, but he's better than anyone else Cincinnati will run out there to try to block Watt. The Steelers should control this one from the start and cruise. Steelers, 30-17
Ramon Foster (8-0): The Steelers are going to win. I do feel that. They'll rally around beating Burrow, just to prove themselves. The offense will do well against that defense, which is not the Cincinnati defense of old. The mentality of Coach Tomlin, and what he tells everyone, to a man, is 'Win the AFC North.' You've got a leg up on Baltimore. This is AFC North football. I think Pittsburgh takes this convincingly. Steelers, 28-17
Chris Carter (8-0): The Bengals are going to run into several problems against this defense. Everyone knows about the big-name pass rush, but the Steelers also have given up the third-fewest red-zone touchdowns in the NFL. Burrow has put up 15 touchdowns, but 13 have come within the red zone. In this game, that looks like it could to multiple field goals while the Steelers' offense figures itself out. Steelers, 31-16
Tom Reed (7-1): Burrow is going to be an excellent quarterback -- if he survives his rookie season. He's fun to watch and can make plays with his arm and feet. But Burrow will be up against it Sunday, and he'll be without Mixon. Look for the Steelers' defense, which welcomes back Alualu, to make life miserable for the talented rookie. On the other side of the ball, the Steelers' running game will get back to business. Steelers, 27-17
Dejan Kovacevic (7-1): Burrow's been sacked 28 times for 203 yards, each figure the second-highest in the NFL behind the Eagles' Carson Wentz. That's it. That's all I've got for you. Unless you want to include Cincinnati missing one offensive tackle and having the other in doubt. Or the Steelers' front line still fuming over having been stoned last Sunday in Arlington. Nothing else to see here. Burrow might scramble all the way back to LSU. Steelers, 34-9