Good, Bad, & Ugly: 2015 – Wild Card Round – Cincinnati Bengals

I started this article with the “ugly” portion, and it manifested into a much longer, more detailed analysis of the ugliest game I’ve ever seen.

So for this article, I’ll focus on some good and some bad.

First the bad: injuries. Injuries plagued this team throughout the season, but every dark night has a bright day behind it. Such is the case with the running back situation. I don’t think anyone predicted Fitzgerald Toussaint and Jordan Todman would combine for over 100 yards rushing. Likewise, no one could predict Toussaint would have over 100 all-purpose yards against a very good Bengals defense.

In another positive, Martavis Bryant answered Ben Roethlisberger‘s challenge with quite possibly the NFL’s catch of the year.

Considering Antonio Brown‘s acrobatic catch against the Ravens, I’m not even sure how this was a catch!

There's a reason Martavis Bryant's nickname is "Alien."

This somersault TD catch is pure insanity. #PITvsCIN https://t.co/nswMny6nxq

— NFL (@NFL) January 10, 2016

That seems to be the consensus in today’s NFL, of what is and what isn’t… I’m just glad it counted and Bryant should feel vindicated after being called out by Big Ben on Roethlisberger’s weekly radio show.

I would also like to give a game ball to the defense. While they gave up a touchdown and a costly pass interference call, they came to play and didn’t back down. Their first half was near perfect, and the turnovers, particularly the coming out party for Ryan Shazier and his forced fumble when all hope was lost, cannot go without notice.

Now, I can’t ignore some of the problems, but I will attribute them to being much like that on the other side of the ball. Landry Jones, who I’ve always backed, was put into a tough situation. I’m not sure how many times we can expect this kid to come into a 4th quarter, cold, and perform. His interception was nearly the back-breaker, but I’m sure most of us, including this supporter, felt he would be able to do much, much like AJ McCarron’s inability to move the ball for most of the game.

And how good were the special teams? Getting Pacman to fair catch, or Jordan Berry flipping the field on other punts. Chris Boswell may have earned a permanent spot on this roster. How much pressure was there on this rookie, in this hostile environment, to make a game-winning field goal? (Hint: it’s not easy… see Vikings kicker Blair Walsh for more reference.)

In all, the Steelers survived a very ugly game and look to reload in a return match with the Denver Broncos on Sunday. The expectation is that Ben, Brown and DeAngelo Williams will all be a “go” for this big game. If the offense can muster more than field goals this time, the Steelers could find themselves competing for the AFC Championship.