Steelers' Cam Heyward sends warning to rest of NFL

The 7-4 Pittsburgh Steelers would be the No. 5 seed in the AFC bracket if the postseason began ahead of Week 13. 

Steelers defensive lineman Cam Heyward sent somewhat of a warning to other teams regarding the playoffs coming off Pittsburgh's 16-10 win over the Cincinnati Bengals this past Sunday.

"We have a recipe that can work," Heyward said about his club during a conversation with Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. "We don’t know how we’re gonna get in there, but we’ve got to get in there. Once you get in the playoffs, all bets are off."

The Steelers moved on from much-maligned offensive coordinator Matt Canada following the Week 11 13-10 loss at the Cleveland Browns and then surpassed the 400-yard mark for the first time in 59 games against Cincinnati. Steelers running back Najee Harris rushed for 99 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries against the Bengals, and fellow ball-carrier Jaylen Warren contributed 49 rushing yards on 13 attempts in the victory. 

Meanwhile, ESPN stats show the Pittsburgh defense is surrendering just 18.6 points per game. That's good for the league's fifth-best mark in that category. 

"You can’t hide from that offensive line what they’re doing as a run game, between Najee and Jaylen, I think it’s becoming a very strong run game," Heyward added. 

As of Wednesday afternoon, the ESPN Football Power Index gave the Steelers a 73.2% chance of making the playoffs ahead of their home game against the 2-10 Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. Also on Wednesday, OddsChecker listed the Steelers as 5.5-point favorites over the Cardinals. 

The 9-3 Baltimore Ravens sit atop the AFC North standings, but Pittsburgh beat Baltimore back in Week 5. Those sides will meet again at Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium in Week 18 for what could be a division-title-deciding clash.