3 games to watch in Week 8 which give perspective on the Steelers’ future opponents

With the Pittsburgh Steelers coming off their bye week and facing their first AFC North road game of the season, the game in Cleveland is the only one that matters this weekend. What also doesn’t help is there are NO matchups between two teams the Steelers will see later in the season or have already faced. That’s right, there are no Week 8 games between two teams that both have the Steelers on their schedule in 2021. Regardless, we’ll still find some other games to watch. First off, lets check out how the three games from last week ended up. This week, two games were blowout, and they were in favor of the underdog.

Denver Broncos (14) at Cleveland Browns (17)

Although this game was not very exciting, it ended up being the closest of the three contests. Points were at a premium, but a banged-up Browns team managed to squeak out a win as the Broncos lose their fourth-straight game. Although this is ultimately to see how teams stack up who the Steelers are to face this season, there were so many players out for the Browns it’s not like they’re going to be the same team that takes on the Steelers this Sunday.

Cincinnati Bengals (41) at Baltimore Ravens (17)

It seems weird to type the words, but the Cincinnati Bengals are leading the AFC North. Although it ended up being a blowout, this game was still very close going into the fourth quarter. The difference came down to the Ravens choosing to go for it on a fourth and seven in their own territory with just under 12 minutes left in a 10-point game. Failing to convert, the game was over at that point as the Bengals ran in for an easy touchdown plays later. As the season is progressing, the Steelers loss to Cincinnati while missing several players on defense doesn’t seem so bad.

Kansas City Chiefs (3) at Tennessee Titans (27)

As the 2021 NFL season goes on, the Baltimore Ravens win over the Kansas City Chiefs is looking a lot less impressive, and the Browns loss to the Chiefs is looking even worse. The fact Kansas City could only manage three points in a game where they were favored by more than four is head-scratching. But Tennessee showed up to play and they are a team moving in the right direction.

For Week 8, here are the three games which could give the most perspective on what the Steelers can expect with some of their future opponents:

San Francisco 49ers at Chicago Bears

Sunday at 1:00 PM on FOX

The choices of games to preview were not good this week. Obviously, the Steelers next opponent makes sense to include as Chicago will be traveling to Pittsburgh for a Monday night matchup in Week 9. More than watching the game itself, monitoring the injury status of Bears edge rusher Khalil Mack may be the most important thing to follow.

Philadelphia Eagles at Detroit Lions

Sunday at 1:00 PM on FOX

The disappointing games continue as the next logical choice is looking at the Detroit Lions, who the Steelers are two weeks removed from playing. The Lions have yet to get their first win of the 2021 season, so their heartbreaking loss to the Ravens which never should have happened continues to loom large. Maybe they can get win number one against the Eagles.

New England Patriots at Los Angeles Chargers

Sunday at 4:05 PM on CBS

At least this game isn’t completely unworth your time. The next logical choice was looking at the Steelers opponent in three weeks which is when they will travel to Los Angeles to take on the Chargers. With the Patriots struggling so far this season, I don’t really want to see them get on much of a roll. But at the same time, I don’t want the Chargers to get any momentum after their crushing defeat to the Ravens in Week 6.

So there are the three main matchups which can give Steelers fans an indication as to the quality of upcoming opponents in 2021. As teams continue get more games under their belt, it’s a little easier to establish expectations.

Which of these other games will be the most telling as it pertains to the 2021 Pittsburgh Steelers? Make sure you vote in the poll and give your thoughts in the comments below.