The Cincinnati Bengals did their part to stay in the playoff race with a 19-17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in a crucial game on a cold Saturday night.
Though the Bengals controlled most of the game, missed opportunities made them work to hold onto a narrow lead in the fourth quarter. Despite this, Cincinnati secured its fifth straight win to end the regular season.
If the Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins lose on Sunday, Cincinnati (9-8) will take the seventh and final playoff spot in the AFC.
The Steelers (10-7) are already in the playoffs but head into the postseason with concerns. They ended the regular season with four straight losses and will be the fifth or sixth seed in the AFC, depending on the outcome of the Los Angeles Chargers game on Sunday.
The Bengals now have to wait anxiously for the results of other games on Sunday, while reflecting on missed chances earlier in the season. However, five weeks ago, making the playoffs didn’t seem likely.
Cincinnati Bengals (9-8)
What we learned about the quarterback: With the season at stake, Joe Burrow made sure to stay on the field when his team needed him most. After taking a tough sack in the third quarter, Burrow was briefly checked in the medical tent. After the check-up, he came out, put a black glove on his throwing hand, and grabbed a tablet.
On the next drive, he made key throws to receiver Ja’Marr Chase and tight end Tanner Hudson, helping increase Cincinnati’s lead to 19-7 with 11:02 left.
Biggest hole in the game plan: The Bengals had a chance to finish off the Steelers early but didn’t take advantage of their opportunities. Cincinnati managed to score on only one of their first three trips into the red zone.
On two other drives that reached the Steelers’ 10-yard line, they ended with field goals instead of touchdowns. This allowed Pittsburgh to stay in the game despite struggling offensively.
Most surprising performance: In their last meeting with the Steelers, Cincinnati’s defense had a tough time. But things changed in the five weeks since. After giving up 520 yards in the first matchup, the Bengals’ defense improved dramatically, allowing only 193 total yards.
Through the first three quarters, they gave up just 91 yards, with only 33 of those passing. This showed how much the Bengals’ defense had turned around, helping them stay in playoff contention.
Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7)
With two minutes left in the game, the Steelers were down by two points, and more than 65,000 fans in black and gold at Acrisure Stadium passionately sang “Don’t Stop Believin” in a hopeful stadium-wide chant.
After three and a half lackluster quarters, the Steelers showed some life against the Bengals, who were fighting to stay alive in the playoff race. But the Steelers’ last push wasn’t enough, and they lost their regular-season finale. Russell Wilson’s pass on a crucial fourth down slipped off tight end Pat Freiermuth’s fingertips.
The loss made the Steelers the third team in NFL history to make the playoffs after losing four games in a row. The last team to do so was the 1999 Detroit Lions.
Despite struggling on offense, the Steelers scored a quick touchdown late to close the gap to five points. A solid defensive play, along with a muffed punt recovery by defensive tackle Connor Heyward, gave Pittsburgh a chance to take the lead.
But the offense couldn’t build on that momentum, gaining just two yards in six plays before settling for a long field goal by Chris Boswell.
Now, the Steelers must wait for the results of Sunday’s games to know their playoff position.
Two words: Junior varsity.
Coach Mike Tomlin often refers to poor performances as “junior varsity,” and Saturday night’s loss showed exactly why. While the defense held the Bengals to one touchdown on four red zone chances, the Steelers struggled to get off the field.
The Bengals almost doubled the Steelers’ time of possession (37:49 to 22:00). When the Steelers did get the ball, they struggled to sustain a drive for the fourth week in a row until the final moments.
Pivotal play:
The Steelers, who pride themselves on being a tough, physical team, couldn’t gain a yard on two crucial plays near the end of the first half.
First, Wilson failed to convert a third-and-1 sneak, and then running back Jaylen Warren couldn’t get the first down on fourth down. This turnover gave the Bengals the ball on a short field, and they took advantage by kicking a field goal for a 13-7 lead at halftime.
Biggest hole in the game plan:
Despite extra defensive work during the week to fix past coverage issues, the Steelers still had trouble covering the Bengals’ tight ends. They combined for 102 of quarterback Joe Burrow’s 277 passing yards. Burrow connected on 8 of 10 passes to Mike Gesicki for 68 yards, 4 passes to Drew Sample for 14 yards, and one each to Tanner Hudson and Cam Grandy.
Silver lining:
At 35 years old and recovering from a groin injury that hurt his 2023 season, Heyward had a strong performance in his 14th NFL season. He tipped three passes, a season-high, bringing his total to 11 passes defended this year, which is the most among defensive tackles. He also recorded eight sacks this season.
