Bengals 38, Steelers 31

When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain,
or command locusts to devour the land
or send a plague among my people,
if my people,
who are called by my name,
will humble themselves and pray
and seek my face
and turn from their wicked ways,
then will I hear from heaven
and will forgive their sin
and will heal their land.
Now my eyes will be open
and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.
I have chosen and consecrated this temple
so that my Name may be there forever.
My eyes and my heart will always be there.
2 Chronicles 7:13-16

This year will serve as a reminder of what could have been. The Steelers COULD have provided the NFL with a worthy counterpart to the runaway favorite that is the Indianapolis Colts, but they haven't. What they have done is frustrate us beyond belief. We have sat and watched them make mistake after mistake and put themselves in difficult positions on a continual basis. Yes, injuries - especially to Big Ben - played a large part, but even without him, they were in every game, losing twice in overtime to teams that simply are not supposed to be as good as they are.

Even yesterday, with 4 turnovers and countless penalties at the wrong time, they found themselves just short.

Again.

Three loses where victory seemed within reach, two at home have made this season almost a lost cause. The destiny of the Steelers is not in their hands alone, but in the hope of OTHER teams making the very mistakes that have plagued the Steelers all year long.

Even MORE disconcerting is the fact that this game was a bellwether in the future of Football in the AFC North.

The Bengals are not flawless, but all the pieces are coming together. The Steelers' window can close as quickly as it opened if they do not fix the mistakes.

As if it the problems for the Steelers aren't big enough, they have arguably the best defense in football coming to town, and a four-game losing streak a very REAL possibility.