Chill Out or Freak Out: Steelers vs. Bengals Wild Card edition

The Steelers pulled out a victory 18-16 over the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday after losing Ben Roethlisberger to injury for part of the game, a scary helmet-to-helmet hit on Antonio Brown, and a series of astounding fouls that put the Steelers in field goal range at the last minute.

Now that the dust has settled, what can fans chill out about going into their next playoff game against the Denver Broncos.

Freak Out

Ben Roethlisberger's injury: Landry Jones had a few strong plays during the regular season. The game against Cincinnati on Saturday did not include any such moments.It is fairly clear that the Steelers cannot function well without Ben Roethlisberger. As Ben Roethlisberger goes, so goes the team. Let's hope Roethlisberger's injury does not prevent him from playing in the Steelers upcoming game. The Steelers need to find a more reliable back up quarterback in the offseason.

Denver altitude: The Denver Broncos are used to playing at high altitude. The Steelers are not. Home field advantage is extremely advantageous when your city's altitude is a mile high. Even in Cincinnati, the defense appeared tired at times. That fatigue will come on even more quickly at Denver's elevation.

Stupid penalties and mistakes: I love William Gay's celebrations. How many people get to be that happy at work? Fifteen-yard penalties, however, are a high price to pay for displays of exuberance. The team also needs to cut down on presnap penalties, and pay more attention to detail. Martavis Bryant had an excellent game and proved, beyond a doubt, that he is capable of holding on to difficult catches. Everyone needs to step up the way he did and play at a different (more accurate) level.

Chill Out

Pittsburgh defense: Sure, the Steelers defense could be more consistent, but they have the ability to perform well. Keith Butler and crew need to show up ready to win the game for the Steelers instead of bumbling around and being a liability as they have in previous weeks.

Special teams: Special teams are not the strongest unit in the Pittsburgh Steelers organization, but for the most part, Jordan Berry punts well and Chris Boswell is super-reliable. Coverage has also gotten a lot better.

Running backs: Fitzgerald Toussaint and Jordan Todman were nothing short of a dynamic duo on Saturday, filling in extremely well for DeAngelo Williams, who was sidelined with an injury during the Week 17 game. Toussaint proved to be a reliable target through the air as well. The running backs are in good hands with position coach James Saxon.