3 games to watch in Week 13 which give perspective to the 2020 Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers are looking to lock up a playoff birth in Week 13. With only 5 games left, it’s time to look at both teams the Steelers still have to play as well as games affect the playoff picture. Of course, the Steelers’ game is the only one that matters this week, but there are some other games which could tell Steelers fans more about this 2020 team.

At the suggestion of one of our faithful BTSC community members, I’m going to include a brief rundown of the previous week’s three games in question to see how they helped shape the narrative of the Steelers 2020 season.

Dallas Cowboys (16) at Washington Football Team (41)

The score looks completely crazy, but one must remember that over half the points were scored in the final quarter of the game. Some people have already forgotten where Dallas was down four points in the fourth quarter and ran a fake punt from their own 24 yard line. One play later Washington got the first of three fourth-quarter touchdowns and one poor decision turned into a blowout game.

Los Angeles Chargers (17) at Buffalo Bills (27)

This game was very strange. The Chargers get a late interception down by a touchdown to only turn around and throw their own pick. Then Buffalo gets a late field goal to go up two scores. Los Angeles throws a Hail Mary in which they are called for a penalty, so they throw another one and complete it short of the goal line. Needing to score quickly and get an onside kick, they choose to continually run the ball and let the clock run out. It was just crazy.

Tennessee Titans (45) at Indianapolis Colts (26)

This was a game that was truly as lopsided as the final score indicated. Tennessee ran all over the Colts from the very beginning. I did not realize one missing defender would turn the Colts stellar defense into Swiss cheese.

Now that we have closed the page on Week 12 of the NFL season, it’s time to get focused on the next set of games as there is little time in the NFL to dwell on the previous week. For Week 13, here are the three games which could give the most perspective on what the Steelers can expect with some of their future opponents as well as their overall layoff picture:

Cleveland Browns at Tennessee Titans

Sunday 1:00 PM on CBS

Although the Steelers don’t play the Browns until Week 17, this is a huge game this weekend. The Steelers would need several other games to go their way in order to secure the tiebreaker to make it official in Week 13, but a win by the Steelers and a loss by the Browns and the AFC North is basically in the bag.

Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans

Sunday 1:00 PM on CBS

With only five games remaining, it makes sense to pay attention to the teams the Steelers have yet to play who are in the playoff picture. The Colt are coming off a crushing defeat by the Tennessee Titans and it will be interesting to see what they can do in Houston against the team who’s trying to stay relevant.

Buffalo Bills at San Francisco 49ers

Monday at 8:15 PM on ESPN

Since the Bills will be the next game on the schedule, they’ve got to be highlighted here. It will be a matchup of two division leaders the following Sunday, so getting a feel for how Buffalo responds to a mediocre performance in a game where they still got a win (sound familiar?) will tell a lot about what to expect in Week 14.

So there are the three main matchups which may give Steelers fans an indication as to the quality of upcoming opponents in 2020 as well as shaping the playoff picture. As teams are now in the home stretch, it is becoming more about where teams stand when it comes to the postseason and how it relates to to Steelers than anything else.

So which of these games will be the most telling as it pertains to the future of the 2020 Pittsburgh Steelers? Make sure you vote in the poll and give your thoughts in the comments below.