14. Pittsburgh Steelers
Last week, we talked about the Pittsburgh Steelers having a bit of a stress-free time with the rest of the AFC North and the state of things in that division entering Week 7.
Well, things can change dramatically in the NFL on a dime, can’t they?
The Steelers had a chance on Thursday night to bury the Cincinnati Bengals, write their eulogy for this season, and take a commanding lead at 6-1 in the AFC North, but they absolutely blew it. I mean, has anyone ever seen so many slant routes completed in a single NFL game? It was absolutely wild to see.
In the battle of the oldest quarterbacks in the NFL, most people assumed the Steelers were going to get the job done. They did not. At least Aaron Rodgers can still throw the ball a long way, right? The Steelers have to refocus quickly now. This loss should be a wake-up call for them, but it could also be the beginning of a backslide.
13. Chicago Bears
Let’s give some love to the job being done by Ben Johnson with the Chicago Bears right now. You’re not going to win any awards for beating the Saints this season, but it’s an important win, nonetheless.
The Bears have now won four straight games, and this is the type of performance you wanted to see from this team coming out of the bye, at least from the defense.
Chicago’s defense forced four turnovers off of Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler, who had been playing really well this season. The revenge game vibes for Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen against his old team were strong.
Chicago’s offense was carried by the running game and D’Andre Swift, somewhat surprisingly. They were able to overcome an interception and two fumbles (one lost) from Caleb Williams, but when the defense is forcing turnovers like that, you’re going to win a lot of games.