Fansided

5 NFL teams that must win in Week 9

By Mike Phillips

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 27: Dontrell Hilliard #25 of the Cleveland Browns carries the ball during the third quarter of the game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on October 27, 2019 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 27: Dontrell Hilliard #25 of the Cleveland Browns carries the ball during the third quarter of the game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on October 27, 2019 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images) /
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PITTSBURGH, PA – OCTOBER 28: JuJu Smith-Schuster #19 of the Pittsburgh Steelers makes a touchdown catch against Chris Lammons #30 of the Miami Dolphins during the third quarter at Heinz Field on October 28, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – OCTOBER 28: JuJu Smith-Schuster #19 of the Pittsburgh Steelers makes a touchdown catch against Chris Lammons #30 of the Miami Dolphins during the third quarter at Heinz Field on October 28, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images) /

3. Pittsburgh Steelers

Believe it or not, the Pittsburgh Steelers are alive and well in the AFC North race. Despite being without Ben Roethlisberger for the year, the Steelers are 3-4 and just two games behind the Baltimore Ravens for first place in the division.

Pittsburgh had a scary game against the winless Dolphins on Monday night, falling behind a tanking Miami team 14-0 before rallying to win in the second half. JuJu Smith-Schuster had his best game of the season, catching five passes for 103 yards and a score, and his re-emergence adds a new dimension to the Pittsburgh offense.

The Steelers have now won back-to-back games to get to 3-4, and they can get back to the .500 mark on Sunday with a home victory against the Indianapolis Colts. That game looks like a mis-match if you look at the team’s records, but the Colts are vulnerable to the upset.

Indianapolis struggled mightily to get by a mediocre Denver Broncos’ team last Sunday, needing a late Adam Vinateri field goal to escape with a 15-13 victory. The Colts have played close games all season, with each and every one of their contests being decided by seven points or less.

That is a good thing for the Steelers, who have fared well against the Colts in the recent past. If the Steelers can sneak by the Colts and the Ravens lose to New England, Pittsburgh would be just a game back of them with half a season to go.

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