... the reality of what just happened to the Pittsburgh Steelers hit them like a splash of cold water to the face.

The facts are true and cannot be altered. Wishing and praying won't change circumstances.

The Steelers will not win the division—that honor belongs to the Cincinnati Bengals—and now face the challenge of defending their world championship via the wild card route. Not what the franchise envisioned when the season began, for sure, but stone cold reality has a way of dashing one's dreams sometimes.

The Bengals own the AFC North. There's zero doubt about that now. Any hope the Steeler Nation has of a collapse won't happen, unless Carson Palmer goes down in a heap once again.

Cincinnati owns two wins each ...

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