PITTSBURGH -- The platform seemed obvious enough. The Pittsburgh Steelers had just defeated the Packers on Sunday night to go 9-2 and tie the Patriots atop the AFC with two weeks to go before the teams clash, likely to decide home-field advantage in the playoffs. And Mike Tomlin had already welcomed the New England conversation by telling NBC in a pregame interview that he anticipates fireworks between the two -- in December and January matchups.

Several Steelers players weren't prepared to go there. Instead, they fell back on the one-game-at-a-time mantra that defines most locker rooms.

"It's such a humbling sport -- we play the Bengals at the Bengals [on Monday]. You don't think they want to beat us really badly?" guard David DeCastro said. "Come on. We'll have our hands full."

DeCastro acknowledged the Patriots command attention. Just not this week.

"They are the Patriots, there's something to be said for them," DeCastro said. "Obviously we'd had a little bit of a roadblock with them. So it is a big game, I'll give them credit. But I'll stick to worrying about the Bengals and Geno Atkins and [Vontaze] Burfict."

The Packers game showcased the Steelers' strengths and weaknesses. The offense can still dazzle, with Ben Roethlisberger recording his second straight four-touchdown performance, Le'Veon Bell doing it all and Antonio Brown increasing the degree of difficulty seemingly with each catch.

But the defense has given up five passing plays of 50-plus yards in the past three weeks, two of which came against Packers quarterback Brett Hundley on third downs, and none of which came against an elite quarterback.

Bell knows the Bengals won't be much easier. Still, he's watching the AFC contenders from afar to see where the Steelers stand.

"I wouldn't necessarily say I'm looking forward to the Patriots, but obviously I'm watching them, seeing those guys still winning and doing their job," Bell said. "When we get in the stadium with those guys, I'll worry about those guys then. Until then, I'm worried about the team we're playing."

Added cornerback Coty Sensabaugh: "Time will tell when we play them ... . We look forward to playing everybody."

Guard Ramon Foster saw Sunday's squeak-by win as a reminder of how the Steelers need to handle themselves every week.

"The way it lines up, the only thing that stops us is us. We have to be a team to realize that," Foster said. "We have to be a team to realize the other teams that we’re playing on the schedule are going to play us as tough as anybody else in the league. We can’t lay down any kind of sympathy for nobody. I don’t care what their record is. We have to smash faces.”