Steelers outlook following season-ending injury to Bengals' Joe Burrow

You never want to look ahead in the NFL, especially when the opponent in front of you is a division foe.  But following Sunday's Browns game, the Steelers have the first of two contests with the reigning kings of the North, the Cincinnati Bengals.  Well, following what is the biggest news in the NFL this […]

Rob Gregson — NFL News Writer
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Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) is sacked by Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith (56) during the first quarter of a Week 1 NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022, Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati. Nfl Pittsburgh Steelers At Cincinnati Bengals Sept 11 0084
© Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

You never want to look ahead in the NFL, especially when the opponent in front of you is a division foe. 

But following Sunday's Browns game, the Steelers have the first of two contests with the reigning kings of the North, the Cincinnati Bengals. 

Well, following what is the biggest news in the NFL this season, those two matchups are going to look a lot different:

Joe Burrow Out For The Year

After suffering a wrist injury that made his hand balloon up just before halftime on Thursday night, further evaluation has revealed that what Bengals' HC Zac Taylor called a "Wrist sprain" may be worse than anyone imagined:

The Steelers will now prepare for Jake Browning in the upcoming contests, who may be as good of a backup QB we have in this league, but he's no Joe Burrow, a QB that just received the highest-paying contract in NFL history a few months ago. 

From a record standpoint, what looked like potentially two losses with a healthy and hot Bengals squad, should now be Steelers wins, even if their offense is still a work in process (to put in nicely):

Pittsburgh Steelers Remaining Schedule

Via The Athletic 

In my opinion, when you take into account that Cleveland's starting QB is dealing with a season-ending injury of his own, Pittsburgh has a good shot to win the next six games, and frankly, should win them.

But prior history says Pittsburgh likes to be in the opposite situation, as they thrive with their backs against the wall and as underdogs opposed to favorites. 

Since Mike Tomlin has taken over as HC, the Steelers have an 84-94-2 (47.2%) record against the spread as a favorite, vs. a 55-29-3 (64.9%) record against the spread when they're an underdog. 

So should they win their upcoming games? Yes. Will they be favored in most of them? Probably. But if Pittsburgh wants to actually make the most of this opportunity, they will have to overcome being on the wrong side of history. 

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