Dec 13, 2015 4 min read

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If the Steelers weren’t on the radar as a team to watch in the AFC playoffs before Sunday, they most certainly should be now.

By going into Cincinnati and delivering a serious body blow to the Bengals, Pittsburgh showed it can roll into anywhere and come away with a win.

The 33-20 victory wasn’t as close as all that, with the Bengals tacking on a late touchdown in the game’s closing moments.

In fact, this one was over the minute Vontaze Burfict stepped across the 50 and dared somebody from the Steelers to step up and knock that battery off his shoulder – that’s an old ’70s commercial reference for those of you too young to remember.

The Steelers not only accepted the challenge, they went out and played with a physical edge that hasn’t been seen in a while. This looked more like a Pittsburgh-Baltimore game circa 2008 than it did a Steelers-Bengals game.

And in the end, the Bengals weren’t ready for that kind of knock-down, drag-out fight.

It’s Christmas time and there will be a lot of letters and cards in the mail.

After this game, there will be a lot of players with mail in their lockers. Only it will be from the league office in the form of the latest fines to come out.

This was a chippy game from the start, as chippy as I’ve seen in some time.

@ The Steelers are now 8-3 this season when Stephon Tuitt plays. That might be purely coincidental, but the big second-year defensive linemen didn’t play in the first game between the Steelers and Bengals and Cincinnati won that game, 16-10.

Tuitt made a game-changing – season-changing? – play in this one, reading a screen on Cincinnati’s first drive and intercepting an Andy Dalton pass.

He then injured Dalton – accidentally – while making the return as the quarterback went low to try to tackle the big man and wound up breaking his right thumb.

“I did two things at one time,” said Tuitt.

Cincinnati might still be able to hold on and win the AFC North with A.J. McCarron at quarterback. The Bengals host San Francisco and travel to Denver in the next two weeks and then finish off their regular season at home against Baltimore.

They would need to win at least one of those games to force the Steelers to go 3-0 to have a shot at the AFC North title. And one of those losses for the Bengals would need to be against Baltimore, otherwise Cincinnati would win the title based on a better division record.

But if the Bengals go 0-3 and Pittsburgh goes 3-0, the Steelers are AFC North champs.

I don’t think that will happen. Cincinnati’s roster is too deep to lose to San Francisco or Baltimore.

But if Dalton isn’t back in time for the playoffs, the Bengals are cooked.

@ The Steelers now have 14 interceptions this season – with Tuitt and Robert Golden both getting their first career picks in a three-interception game Sunday.

That’s the most interceptions for the Steelers as a team since picking off 21 passes in 2010 – which also happens to be the last time they won a playoff game.

William Gay also had a pick six on Sunday, the fifth consecutive interception that he’s returned for a touchdown. That’s an NFL record.

@ As crazy as it sounds, if the playoffs began today, the Steelers wouldn’t be in.

The game to watch right now is the Jets hosting New England in Week 16. If New York loses that game or in Week 17 at Buffalo, the Steelers get in, even if they finish with the same record as the Jets.

But is anyone betting against the Steelers running the table right now?

@ The defense still has an occasional brain cramp.

How does Mike Mitchell not shade A.J. Green over the top lining up one-on-one against Antwon Blake?

I understand the team’s reasoning for continuing to play Blake – even if I don’t necessarily agree with it. The Steelers don’t think Brandon Boykin is a strong enough tackler to play every down.

But if you’re Mitchell, you have to see that matchup and react accordingly.

@ Some people will get tied up in the yardage the Steelers allowed. But much of it was empty yardage. A.J. McCarron scored as many points for the Steelers as he did the Bengals.

@ If the Giants beat the Dolphins Monday night, the Steelers’ game at Baltimore in Week 16 will be moved from an 8:30 p.m. start to 1 p.m.