3 games to watch in Week 9 which give perspective on the Steelers’ future opponents

With the Pittsburgh Steelers playing at Heinz Field on Monday night, they begin a two-game home stretch against NFC opponents. As fans wait an extra day to see the Steelers, there are other matchups on Sunday which could be telling about some of their future games. There are two games between teams who the Steeelers still will face this season along with another featuring an opponent they will see fairly soon. First off, lets check out how the three games from last week ended up. This week, every team who the Steelers will face came out on the wrong end of the scoreboard.

San Francisco 49ers (33) at Chicago Bears (22)

I must admit I did not watch one snap of this game as it was on at the same time as the Steelers. Apparently neither kicker could manage an extra point which resulted in an occasion for each team are they failed to tie the game in the second half. Ultimately the 49ers put the game away late as Chicago simply can’t consistently pass the ball.

Philadelphia Eagles (44) at Detroit Lions (6)

Another game, and another one which I did not watch one snap. The Eagles opened up a huge lead in this game and it was over very early. The only thing going well for the Lions now is if they are on a bye and can’t lose this week. Unfortunately, I don’t like them facing the Steelers coming out of there bye if they’ve managed to get a renewed sense of optimism.

New England Patriots (27) at Los Angeles Chargers (24)

I actually didn’t get to watch any of this game either due to the Steelers Post Game Show podcast followed by trick-or-treating with the family. I was surprised to see that the Patriots came back and won the game after trailing in the first half. It wasn’t until looking at the box score that I realized New England took a 10-point lead with just over two minutes left and the Chargers simply scored a late touchdown to make it as close.

For Week 9, here are the three games which could give the most perspective on what the Steelers can expect with some of their future opponents:

Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals

Sunday at 1:00 PM on CBS

This is a very important AFC North matchup as both teams are coming off of losses in Week 8. The Browns are now faced with the same situation the Steelers were the previous week where they are in danger of falling to 0–2 in the division. The Bengals also need to get back on track after squandering away there one week of being the number one seed in the AFC. It should be interesting to see how this one plays out.

Minnesota Vikings at Baltimore Ravens

Sunday at 1:00 PM on FOX

The Steelers have three remaining games against the teams in this matchup, so it’s got to be included just for that reason. I’m not really sure how good either one of these teams are as I just can’t get a gauge on either of them. Seeing them face off may help a lot, or may not say much of anything.

Los Angeles Chargers at Philadelphia Eagles

Sunday at 4:05 PM on CBS

They were only two matchups against teams the Steelers still have to face, so I was looking for the third game to be the Steelers next opponent. But with Detroit on bye, I had to go yet another week into the future to keep an eye on the Los Angeles Chargers. I didn’t think the Eagles were a very good team but they sure did put a hurting on Detroit last week. It will be interesting to see if they can put together another game as the Chargers seem to be faltering lately.

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.