Joe Burrow will head to Cincinnati’s training facility on Sunday. He’ll lift weights, possibly watch some video, and join his teammates to hope for a chance.
It’s not much, but it’s all Burrow and the Bengals can do after a 19-17 win at Pittsburgh late Saturday night kept their slim playoff hopes alive going into the final day of the season.
“It’s not ideal,” Burrow said after throwing for 277 yards and a touchdown. “But we put ourselves in this position.”
A month ago, the Bengals were struggling at 4-8, with seven losses by eight points or less. They responded by winning five straight games to finish the regular season, including a victory over the Steelers.
For the Bengals to claim the last AFC playoff spot, they need Kansas City, playing without Patrick Mahomes, to beat Denver, and the New York Jets to beat Miami.
“It’ll be weird rooting for the Chiefs,” Burrow said with a small laugh. “Hopefully some guys will be playing.”
Burrow threw an interception and saw his streak of games with at least 250 yards passing and three touchdowns come to an end. However, he did enough to send the Steelers (10-7) into the playoffs with a four-game losing streak.
Pittsburgh will be the fifth seed and travel to AFC South champion Houston if the Los Angeles Chargers lose to the Raiders. If the Chargers win, the Steelers will be the sixth seed and face AFC North rival Baltimore in the first round.
“We’re in a single-elimination tournament now, so we better turn our attention toward playing good football and better than we have particularly in recent weeks,” Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin said.
If Tomlin needs a lesson in how to perform under tough circumstances, Cincinnati’s recent play is an example. After a 44-38 loss to Pittsburgh on Dec. 1 dropped them to 4-8, the Bengals went on to win every game since, with Burrow playing at an MVP level and their defense improving significantly.
Burrow completed 37 of 46 passes, including a 12-yard touchdown to Ja’Marr Chase on their first possession, giving the Bengals a lead they held throughout. Chase finished with 10 receptions for 96 yards, putting him within reach of the NFL’s “Triple Crown” for receivers in catches, yards, and touchdowns.
Cincinnati’s defense held Pittsburgh (10-7) to just 193 yards, far fewer than the 520 they gained in the first matchup, and they stopped a late rally. Trey Hendrickson sacked Russell Wilson 3 1/2 times, bringing his season total to a league-leading 17 1/2 sacks.
“Obviously, our season hasn’t gone the way we wanted, but we like how we closed out to get over .500 and give ourselves a chance,” Cincinnati cornerback Mike Hilton said.
Wilson passed for 148 yards and a touchdown, most of which came during a fourth-quarter rally when Pittsburgh was playing catch-up. Wilson connected with Pat Freiermuth for a 19-yard touchdown, and Chris Boswell kicked a 54-yard field goal, getting the Steelers within two points.
The Steelers got the ball back after the 2-minute warning but never reached Cincinnati’s territory. Wilson’s fourth-down pass to Freiermuth was incomplete, and Burrow took a knee to extend the Bengals’ season into the final day.
Whether Burrow and his teammates will prepare for a trip to Buffalo or clean out their lockers for the offseason is uncertain. But given where the team was a month ago, Burrow is satisfied.
“I know that if we get in, we can make some noise with the players and coaches that we have in this building,” he said. “We’ve just got to hope for some help tomorrow and sit back and watch it.”
