The Pittsburgh Steelers have folded.

Beat by a cumulative 90-40 over the last three weeks, left in the dust by teams that are clearly better, exposed as non-contenders when it comes to doing anything significant, knocked off the top of the AFC North and scrambling to avoid a euthanasia scenario in the playoffs’ wild-card round.

Is there a portal to escape to a modicum of salvation? Yes.

Is there a way to stop the bleeding? Yes.

Can the Steelers stake out some dignity and forge a hopeful path to Houston for the start of the postseason? Yes.

All they have to do is beat Cincinnati.

The Bungles. Their joke foe. Their long-time punching bag.

They did it Dec. 1, triumphing 44-38 at Cincinnati. The return leg is at Acrisure Stadium on Saturday.

That’s all the Steelers must do to make things some small semblance of right. Walk out that tunnel and beat Cincinnati.

It sounds simple, even easy.

Yeah, OK, Joe Burrow might be the best quarterback in football, and he’s got mega-weapons like wideouts Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Burrow has thrown three touchdowns or more in each of the past eight games. (Burrow has thrown 12 more TDs in those eight games than Kenny Pickett has in his career.)

But these are the Bungles. A punchline. An inferior franchise. You make fun of them.

The Steelers will win easy.

But what if they don’t? Where does that leave the Steelers?

It would be no surprise if the collapse continues.

Late-season disintegration is a tradition under Mike Tomlin.

It started in 2009, the year after Tomlin won his Super Bowl. Perhaps that’s when the Bill Cowher magic started to dissipate.

The Steelers started that year 6-2, lost five straight, finished 9-7 and missed the playoffs.

That should sound familiar, because variations of that theme have often occurred since. It’s happening now.

Is it coaching? Tomlin hasn’t won a playoff game in 13 of his 17 completed seasons.

It doesn’t appear to be lack of talent, certainly not during the Ben Roethlisberger era.

Is it lack of courage and guts? No team collapses because it’s got too much character.

Is it conceit? We hear endless babble about the Steelers’ “standard.” But when is the last time they lived up to it?

Is it absence of leadership? We hear what a great leader Cam Heyward is, for instance. But what’s he led to the Steelers to?

Why do the Steelers so often collapse?

Nobody seems interested in knowing why, let alone solving the problem. Nothing ever changes. Circus performers.

If I’m wrong, the Steelers should have no trouble halting their slide and beating the Bungles at home. It’s the ideal opponent.

But the Bungles are 2-point favorites.

The Steelers have been mostly blah, blah, blah for too many years.

Tomlin has been mostly blah, blah, blah for too many years.

Live up to the “standard.” Beat the Bungles, then go to Houston and win a playoff game.

If you don’t, a lot of questions will be asked.

As usual, they won’t be answered.

Will the crowd turn if the Bungles seize control at Acrisure? The jig is up, the news is out …

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