3 games to watch in Week 14 which give perspective on the Steelers’ future opponents

The Pittsburgh Steelers are heading into their mini bye on a down note after coming up short on Thursday night. Needing to likely run the table to have a shot at the playoffs, the Steelers next four opponents are the most important thing to focus on at this time. There is one game which has two teams the Steeelers will still face this season where another opponent takes on a team the Steelers have already played. First off, lets check out how the three games from last week ended up. This week, the Steelers next opponent fell to the winless Lions, but Still were able to take down the Steelers on Thursday.

Los Angeles Chargers (41) at Cincinnati Bengals (22)

It seems as if both the Chargers and the Bengals are inconsistant as the Steelers. After taking care of the Steelers at home, the Chargers fell to the Broncos only to come east for a 1 PM game and handle the Bengals who had their own let down game after taking it to Pittsburgh the previous week.

Minnesota Vikings (27) at Detroit Lions (29)

There were a number of Steelers fans who didn’t want to see the Vikings lose to the previously winless Lions right before they had to face to Steelers on a short week. Getting a wake up call from losing on the last play of the game in Detroit, Minnesota made sure it wasn’t a repeat in Week 14.

Denver Broncos (9) at Kansas City Chiefs (22)

After getting it done against the Chargers the previous week, the Broncos didn’t have much for the Chiefs on Sunday night. Although they are not scoring at will as in previous seasons, the Chiefs are managing to get on a roll down the stretch.

For Week 14, here are the three games which could give the most perspective on what the Steelers can expect with some of their future opponents:

Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns

Sunday at 1:00 PM on CBS

I have to highlight three games, but this is the one. The Steelers play both of these teams in the remaining four games (their last to games to be exact), and it is an AFC North matchup. The only thing I’m not sure of is which team I actually want to win. Do I want to see the Browns fall behind the Steelers in the standings, or do I want to see the AFC North stay within reach? Either way, the Steelers need to win their next two games before they face either of these teams for it to really matter.

Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans

Sunday at 1:00 PM on CBS

For this game, I definitely know who I want to win. I don’t want another Steelers opponent coming to face them after a loss to a team at the bottom of the league yet again. Therefore, I am going to pay attention to this game intently as it is the Steelers next opponent, but it’s not that I will be avidly rooting against them.

Las Vegas Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs

Sunday at 1:00 PM on CBS

The Chiefs are getting on a roll at the right time winning their last five games in a row. As for the Raiders, they’ve lost four of the last five with the only victory in overtime on Thanksgiving against the Cowboys. But it seems like they get up for big games, so this could be an interesting matchup after all despite the Chiefs taking to them in Vegas four weeks prior.

So there are the three main games which can give Steelers fans an indication as to the quality of upcoming opponents in 2021. As teams roll into the last quarter of the season, 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.