Steelers CB Joey Porter trending toward playing in season finale against Cincinnati
The Pittsburgh Steelers and their struggling defense could be at full strength for the regular-season finale against Cincinnati.
Coach Mike Tomlin said Monday that he is hopeful cornerback Joey Porter Jr. will be available when the Steelers (10-6) host the Bengals (8-8) on Saturday night. Porter missed a 29-10 loss to Kansas City on Christmas Day with a knee injury.
Patrick Mahomes dominated Pittsburgh's secondary for 320 yards and three touchdowns as the Steelers dropped their third straight to lose control of the AFC North. The only way the Steelers can win the division is by beating Cincinnati coupled with a Baltimore loss at home to reeling Cleveland earlier Saturday afternoon.
Pittsburgh's defense has given up more than 400 yards per game during the slide, with several players saying the kind of communication breakdowns that cropped up against the Chiefs simply can't happen this time of year. Tomlin called that kind of heated rhetoric a byproduct of the defense's passion.
"They bicker because they care," Tomlin said. "And we weren't playing well. And oftentimes the solution is born out of conflict and confrontation, particularly when you're in the business that we're in."
Tomlin said some of the problems that have crept in lately were because of injuries that forced Porter and starting safety DeShon Elliott to miss time. Elliott played against the Chiefs and if Porter is available, then the Steelers should have their usual starting 11 out there on defense on Saturday, a luxury 18 weeks into the season.
Pittsburgh defeated the Bengals in a 44-38 shootout on Dec. 1. Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow passed for 309 yards and three scores.
The Bengals have won four straight to stay mathematically alive for the postseason, though they will need some help to play beyond this weekend.
The Steelers are already assured of reaching the playoffs for the fourth time in five years. Yet they were drilled three times in 11 days by Philadelphia, Kansas City and Baltimore, though Tomlin is trying to hit an upbeat tone.
"The road is getting narrow and it is good to be in the position that we're in," he said. "Certainly, we could be in a better position. But by the same token, we also could be in a worse position. And so we are where we are."
Tomlin said he hasn't thought much about how the outcome of the Ravens-Browns game might affect his planning. The Steelers could clinch the top wild-card spot in the AFC with a victory in the season finale or a Los Angeles Chargers loss to Las Vegas. The fifth seed would mean a first-round trip to struggling AFC South champion Houston instead of a return to Baltimore, where the Steelers lost 34-17 on Dec. 21.
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