The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off a full dismantling of the Indianapolis Colts, but must put that quickly behind them as they aim to get a key win over the Cincinnati Bengals that will be critical to their playoff hopes. The matchup between the two teams should be very intense as they size up well against one another. The Steelers are hoping health plays into their favor as Heath Miller looks poised to return.
Miller missed Week 13 with a rib injury. That certainly did not hurt the Steelers against the weaker Colts, but it might against the tougher defense in Cincinnati. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, there is a real chance that Miller is able to return to the team for Week 14. Head coach Mike Tomlin told the media that he was hopeful the tight end could play in the critical matchup as Miller is a big part of the what the team's offense does. His presence on the field will be big as both a pass catcher and blocker.
Without Miller, the Steelers will rely heavily on DeAngelo Williams who picked up a nice 134 yards against the Colts. He acted as a blocker as well which made up for the absence of the tight end. However, it was the performances from Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant and Markus Wheaton that have people very confident that favor is falling for the Steelers at the right time. The Steelers are peaking at the right time heading down the stretch which means the Bengals should be put on notice for this game as Ben Roethlisberger continues to lead the team.
We left points out there and we left yards out there," Roethlisberger said, via the New York Times. "Whether I missed throws, whether guys missed catches, whatever it was. ... We want to be perfect. We want to catch every ball. I want to make every throw. When we don't do it, it's frustrating. I just feel a chemistry growing between us on offense.Things just seem to be working."
With Roethlisberger playing some of his best football right now, the Steelers are reaping the benefits even if Miller is not healthy enough to play in Week 14. The trio of Wheaton , Brown and Bryant is all the Steelers need along with some solid rushing from Williams. According to Brown, the Steelers have the best quarterback in the NFL right now and he might be right. Returning from injury, Roethlisberger has the offense clicking and it is expected to continue.
"We have the best quarterback in the NFL," Brown said, via the Times. "We have a great offensive line and running back ... We're doing a great job and getting better each and every week as a team. Today we showed that."
