CINCINNATI -- The Steelers are 2-1-1 since coming off their bye in Week 7, not bad but not great, either.
They're also 1-1 in the AFC North this season. Again, not terrible, but not great.
Much like the rest of the AFC this season, there's been some good, some bad, and a lot of eh. Twelve of the AFC's 16 teams entered the weekend with 5 or more wins, the Steelers being one of them.
It all adds up for what should be a sprint to the finish over the final seven weeks of the season, beginning this week for the Steelers (5-4-1) against the Bengals (6-4), a team that beat them back in Week 3 at Heinz Field, 24-10.
The Steelers haven't forgotten about that loss to be sure.
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Ben Roethlisberger has led the Steelers to 26 wins, including the playoffs, against the Bengals in his career.
"We’re not gonna play it cool and pretend like it’s not (a big game) or downplay it. This is significant AFC North football for us," Mike Tomlin said. "Very similar to the circumstances that we were in a couple of weeks ago when we were readying ourselves to go to Cleveland. These games are big. They are. You’re not gonna backdoor your way into the single elimination tournament. You’re not gonna backdoor your way into division significance.
"You’ve gotta go on the road and win games in this division, and that’s just the reality of it. The sugar on top is obviously, earlier in the season, they were able to come in to our place and win. It’s a big game for us, it’s a big game for them. There’s positioning relative to it, and so we’re not gonna play it cool, we’re not gonna pretend like it’s not."
The Bengals, who also beat the Steelers at Paul Brown Stadium last December, haven't won three in a row against the Steelers since putting together a six-game winning streak against them from 1988 through 1990. They haven't swept the season series against the Steelers since 2009.
But for them, every time they play the Steelers, it's a big game, "Steelers Week," as they call it. Often times, that has rung hollow, as the Bengals just haven't been all that good -- Ben Roethlisberger is 26-9 all-time against the Bengals, including the playoffs.
That win over the Steelers earlier this season, even though the Steelers were playing without Diontae Johnson, T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Tyson Alualu, who all had been injured the previous week in a loss to the Raiders, certainly got their attention.
So did the comments of Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd, who said after the game the Steelers had "quit" in the fourth quarter.
The Steelers aren't saying much about that comment publicly, but you'd better believe it sticks in the back of their mind. They've been the big brother in this rivalry for too long to suddenly hear the little brother talking trash after a win.
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor certainly wasn't happy about Boyd's comment for just that reason.
"We all know him. He’s a great dude," Taylor said of Boyd's statement, saying he addressed it with the former Pitt star. "Just some things just come out of your mouth you’re not just thinking through."
Like adding just a little extra fuel to a game that doesn't need any. It's similar to JuJu Smith-Schuster's pre-game dancing on the opposing team's logo last season for social media, something that ended after the Steelers' loss to the Bengals here last season. In the grand scheme of things, it's meaningless. But if it provides motivation and the opposing team wins, well, you're going to get called out on it.
To the winner goes the spoils. And in this instance, the winner is going to put itself in a much better position in the AFC playoff standings.
After their 41-37 loss to the Chargers last week in a game without Watt, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Joe Haden, the Steelers fell a half-game behind the Bengals for second place in the AFC North standings. More importantly, they slid to 8th in the AFC playoff standings. The Bengals rose to 6th. Fitzpatrick and Watt will be back this week. Haden was downgraded from questionable to out Saturday with a sprained foot.
A win here by the Steelers would serve two purposes, both hurting a division rival and a team in the conference against which they are battling for an overall playoff spot.
"We try not to look too globally. You can look at what’s going on in your division, but globally in the AFC, it is kind of crazy right now," Roethlisberger said. "It’s always been about when you get hot and when you turn it on. I think we won four or five in a row and then we lost a game, but just because you lose doesn’t mean you’re still not trending in the right direction. I still think this team is trending in the right direction."
That remains to be seen. But the Steelers are happy to have the return of Watt and Fitzpatrick two defensive stalwarts, particularly Watt. In fact, they are 5-1 when Watt starts and finishes a game this season. They are 0-3-1 when he either misses or doesn't finish a game.
"We know this is going to be a dogfight on Sunday," said Taylor. "What happened the last time we played them has no bearing on this game whatsoever. Pittsburgh is a tremendous team. They know what it's like to be in a position in late November, December and how important these games are. Every divisional game matters. We're going to get their best shot and they're going to get ours."
THE ESSENTIALS
• Who: Steelers (5-4-1) vs. Bengals (6-4)
• When: 1:02 p.m., Sunday
• Where: Paul Brown Stadium
• Forecast: 40°, 1% chance of rain, 10 mph wind
• TV: KDKA, CBS (National)
• Radio: 102.5 WDVE, ESPN Pittsburgh
• Streaming: Steelers Nation Radio
• Satellite: Sirius XM 381, online 826
• Media notes: Steelers | Bengals
THE INJURY REPORT
Steelers: CB Joe Haden (foot, out); TE Eric Ebron (knee, out); OL J.C. Hassenauer (pectoral, out)
Bengals: WR Auden Tate (thigh, doubtful)
THE KEY VARIABLE
Entering their 41-37 loss last week to the Chargers, the Steelers had allowed opposing quarterbacks to run for just 122 yards this season, a total that ranked in the top 10 in the NFL.
Then Justin Herbert got ahold of their depleted defense and scrambled for 90 yards, with four of his first six carries coming on third-and-long to convert them into first downs. The Steelers allowed 159 rushing yards in the game, well over half of that came from quarterback scrambles.
With Watt out, the Steelers stuck with the four-man rush that has served them so well. But invariably, as soon as Herbert recognized that the Steelers were in man-to-man defense in the secondary, he took off running. And running. And running.
"He was a good running quarterback. He caught us a couple of times in man-to-man coverage — more than a couple of times," defensive coordinator Keith Butler said of Herbert. "They got us a little bit. Some stuff we could’ve changed and did a little bit better in terms of maybe spying him a little bit, but we felt like the four-man rush was the best thing at the time. He did a good job of escaping. There were times he saw us in certain coverages and he would take off. He didn’t wait on anything. It looked like it was almost a quarterback draw, but it wasn’t. It was a read by him.
"Hindsight is always 20/20. Going back to the game and thinking about what happened and what we did, you give up 41 points, sure … 'What could I have done differently' It’d be stupid for me to sit here and say that I wouldn’t have done it differently. Forty-one points is too many points. Way too many."
After running for 142 yards in his 10 starts as a rookie in 2020 before injuring his knee, Burrow hasn't run nearly as much this season. Through 10 games, he has 55 yards rushing on 24 attempts.
In the first meeting against the Steelers, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow attempted just 18 passes, completing 14 for 172 yards. But he threw three touchdown passes against one interception. He did have five rushing attempts, but only for seven yards, but that included two kneel downs at the end of the game. One of his rushing attempts converted a third down.
Watt and fellow outside linebacker Alex Highsmith didn't play in that game, with both sitting out with groin injuries. That also was the first game the Steelers played without Alualu, who had fractured his ankle in a Week 2 loss to the Raiders and was lost for the season.
The Steelers didn't have a sack or even a quarterback hit in the game.
With Watt and Highsmith instead of Melvin Ingram, Jamir Jones and Derrick Tuszka, who were the outside linebackers in that game, the Steelers feel they can get pressure on Burrow, who has been sacked 28 times, the second-most in the NFL, despite that sack-less game against Pittsburgh. Ingram and Jones are no longer with the Steelers.
"The last time we played them, we were down a couple of people," Butler said. "Having those guys come back and be able to play means a lot to us. It means a lot to everybody who’s out there on the field because they’re used to playing with each other."
That comfort level with each other allows for more coordinated pass rushes. Oh, and Watt is second in the NFL with 12.5 sacks in 8 games. With a half-sack in this game, Watt would reach 13 sacks in four consecutive seasons. Only Hall of Fame defensive end Reggie White (twice) has done that in his career.
Highsmith has 3.0 sacks, all of which have come in the past five games. Highsmith also has 10 quarterback hits in that span and is now tied with Heyward for second behind Watt.
The Steelers want to keep Burrow in the pocket and then hit him.
"Coordinated rushes are a lot better. You have to be able to communicate what you’re going to do," Heyward said. "We’ve got to rush with our heads up. You can’t just bury your head. Use your extension to get off blocks. And in the middle, we’ve just got to push up a little bit more. A couple of times, if we get more pressure up the middle, there’s not that big, wide lane."
THE HISTORY LESSON
The last time the Bengals had an opportunity to pull off a season sweep of the Steelers came back in 2015. After the Bengals edged the Steelers 16-10 in a game at Heinz Field Nov. 1, the two AFC North rivals met again six weeks later on Dec. 13 at Paul Brown Stadium.
The loss to the Bengals dropped the Steelers to 4-4, while Cincinnati improved to 7-0 with the victory.
By the time the rematch rolled around, the Steelers entered at 7-5, while the Bengals were 10-2.
The Steelers opened the game with an 80-yard touchdown drive to score on a 1-yard run by DeAngelo Williams. Williams was subbing for an injured Le'Veon Bell, who had suffered a knee injury at the hands of Vontaze Burfict in the previous meeting.
The Bengals drove to the Pittsburgh 4 on their ensuing possession, but on second-and-goal, Andy Dalton was intercepted by Stephon Tuitt, who then ran over Dalton as he tried to tackle him, fracturing the quarterback's thumb.
The Steelers drove the length of the field to get a Chris Boswell field goal for a 10-0 lead, then added another after forcing a punt to take a 13-0 advantage.
A.J. McCarron, subbing for Dalton, hit A.J. Green for a 66-yard touchdown on the Bengals' next possession to cut the lead to 13-7, but the Steelers tacked on a third Boswell field goal just before halftime to take a 16-7 lead.
William Gay intercepted a McCarron pass and returned it 23 yards for a touchdown just two plays into the second half to extend the Steelers' lead to 23-7, but the Bengals trimmed the lead to 23-10 with a Mike Nugent field goal on their ensuing possession.
The Steelers got a fourth Boswell field goal on the first play of the fourth quarter to take a 26-10 lead, but the Bengals drove to the Pittsburgh 5, only to see McCarron sacked by Cam Heyward on third-and-goal to force another Nugent field goal that made it 26-13.
The two teams traded interceptions, with Reggie Nelson picking off Roethlisberger and Robert Golden returning the favor. Golden returned his interception to the Cincinnati 16, and Williams scored his second touchdown to push the Steelers' lead to 33-13 with just under four minutes remaining.
McCarron led a late touchdown drive, tossing a 5-yard pass to Rex Burkhead to finish it off, but it was too little, too late in a 33-20 Steelers victory.
Though the Bengals held on to win the division with a 12-4 record, the Steelers finished at 10-6 and as a wild card. The two teams met a third time in the playoffs, with the Steelers winning a wild 18-16 game.
KARL ROSER / STEELERS
Diontae Johnson leads the Steelers with 59 catches for 714 yards.
THE MAIN MATCHUP
The Steelers managed just one touchdown and a field goal in the first meeting against the Bengals, losing despite holding a 342-268 advantage in total yards and holding the ball for 35:22.
Two turnovers didn't help, but the Bengals had one. The Steelers, however, rushed for just 45 yards in the game and Roethlisberger was forced to drop back 62 times as Cincinnati took a 24-7 lead midway through the third quarter.
Roethlisberger, who was intercepted twice by inside linebacker Logan Wilson, hasn't thrown an interception in five games, the longest such streak in the NFL and of his career. He also was sacked four times and hit seven times in that loss to the Bengals.
That's to be expected when you're playing from behind. But the Steelers' young offensive line feels its playing better now than it did then. And it's keen to show it.
For a team starting four rookies on offense -- left tackle Dan Moore, center Kendrick Green, running back Najee Harris and tight end Pat Freiermuth -- this also will mark the first time they've gotten a chance at a same-season rematch. It doesn't happen often in college football.
"It’s a little bit different," Moore said. "To me, it’s a little weird. But it’s a game of improvement, just to show how much we’ve improved since the last time we played."
Harris and Freiermuth have certainly become bigger factors since Week 3. Though he was limited to 40 yards on 14 carries in the first meeting, Harris did catch 14 passes for 104 yards against the Bengals. Freiermuth, meanwhile, had three receptions for 22 yards and a score in that game.
Since then, that duo has become an even bigger part of the Steelers' offensive attack.
"Every week we get better. Every week everyone on the team is getting more experience, especially us young guys," said Harris, who went over 1,000 total yards for the season last week against the Chargers. "For Dan and 'K.G.' (Green), specifically, I think they got better from Week One until now.
"Just to see the progress that's going on is good."
Roethlisberger is excited about the progress the offense has made. And he cautiously optimistic to see how the Steelers match up against the Bengals this time around in their first chance at an NFL rematch.
The offense, which averaged 16.8 points per game over the first four games of the season, adding up to a 1-3 start, has averaged 24.5 points the past six games.
"We’re getting better. They are too," Roethlisberger said of the Bengals. "I think everyone’s evolving as the season goes. Just because I think that we’re better doesn’t mean that all of a sudden the outcome could be different. You’ve still got to go play them. Hopefully, our young guys have all grown up and the older guys are getting a little better too."
Getting Johnson back for this game after he didn't play in the first one is a big boost, as well. Johnson leads the Steelers with 59 receptions for 714 yards and four touchdowns despite missing that game.
He had 14 catches for 175 yards and two touchdowns against the Bengals last season.
"He's a dynamic receiver. He's explosive. He's got great speed. He's got really good run after the catch," Taylor said of Johnson. "They've always got a good collection of weapons they can utilize. With him, he is coming on strong. He is a tremendous player, and we have to be fully aware of him."
THE TEN DATA POINTS
• Burrow has been sacked 28 times this season, tied for second-most in the league.
• Bill Vinovich's crew will officiate the game. That crew has called the fewest penalties in the league with 101 in 10 games. Vinovich's crew has not officiated a Steelers game this season, but did work the Bengals-Packers game. There were four combined penalties called in that game.
• The Bengals have allowed 76 receptions to opposing running backs this season, the most in the NFL. That includes 14 by Harris in the first meeting. The Steelers have given up 42 catches to opposing runners, the fourth-fewest in the NFL.
• The Steelers have given up just two touchdowns to opposing tight ends, tied for third-fewest in the NFL. The Broncos are the only team yet to allow an opposing tight end to score. Cincinnati has given up four.
• The Steelers have 39 starts by rookies this season, second-most in the NFL behind the Jets (47).
• Chase Claypool has 16 receptions for 206 yards and two touchdowns in three career games against the Bengals. In four career games against the Bengals, Johnson has 23 catches for 281 yards and three touchdowns.
• Roethlisberger had 24 career wins against both the Bengals and Browns -- including playoffs. That is tied for the fourth-most in history by a quarterback against any one team. Tom Brady also has 24 career wins against the Dolphins.
• Roethlisberger needs four completions to move past Philip Rivers (5,277) into fifth place on the NFL's all-time list.
• Harris is third in the NFL with 188 yards after contact. Bengals running back Joe Mixon is fourth with 180.
• The Bengals allow just 98 yards rushing per game, but opponents have run the ball against them just 36.7 percent of the time, fourth-fewest in the NFL.
THE FANTASY CORNER
My lineup posted a garbage 93.44 points last week thanks to Dak Prescott failing to even get to 10 points. I'm going try to bounce back. Remember, I'm building a fantasy lineup using Draft Kings and a $50,000 salary cap.
Quarterback: Lamar Jackson, Ravens ($7,900) -- Jackson should be well-rested after sitting out last week's game with an illness. He should cash in against the Browns.
Running back: Miles Sanders, Eagles ($5,100), Darrell Henderson, Rams ($5,800) -- Sanders is an absolute bargain now that he's back and the Eagles have remembered that someone other than the quarterback is allowed to run the ball. Henderson should find some running room against the Packers. And he catches enough passes to make this a nice play.
Wide receiver: D.J. Moore, Panthers ($6,200), Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Packers, ($4,100), Diontae Johnson, Steelers, ($6,600) -- I'm playing the odds here. Moore and Cam Newton have a rapport from their earlier days together. Valdes-Scantling should continue to benefit from the attention Davante Adams gets this week from the Rams. And Johnson, like Lockett should feast if the Bengals try to keep the Steelers from going deep.
Tight end: Rob Gronkowski, Bucs ($4,400) -- Gronk has averaged 14 points per game when he's played.
Flex: Keenan Allen, Chargers ($7,400) -- Allen has been on fire, as the Steelers know all too well now. Allen and Johnson are target monsters, averaging more than 10 per game each. That should add up to plenty of points.
Defense: Texans ($2,300) -- The Texans defense? Yep. They have six interceptions the past two weeks and now play the Jets. Why not?
