With the Pittsburgh Steelers officially eliminated from playoff contention, head coach Bill Cowher will announce his fate with the team in regards to next season shortly after their season finale against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Steelers can still spoil the playoff hopes for the Packers if the New York Jets lose to the Oakland Raiders, or if the Broncos lose and several other scenarios occur.

"That's for next week," Cowher said on Tuesday, talking about his future with the team. "We'll talk about that next week. It won't go long. I'm not sure what the time frame is. But I think the most important thing is to be focused on this game."

The Steelers have been fortunate to have their most recent coaches last for such a long time. Cowher has coached the Steelers since 1992, and already won his Super Bowl last season. If Cowher chooses to retire, the Steelers will begin to search for a head coach almost immediately. They have two strong candidates on their own staff, those being offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt and offensive line coach Russ Grimm. If Cowher chose not to return to the Steelers next season, there have been rumors that he will take a year off and then look to coach elsewhere in the NFL. He would definitely be a hot commodity if he were to do so. However, until then, all Cowher is worried about is finishing this season on a high note.

"Our goal is to go down there and get this taste out of our mouth and, more importantly, finish the season at 8-8," Cowher said. "We'll do that. Playing Cincinnati with a game like that, there's a lot at stake, just pride-wise. It's always been like that."