Steelers Put AFC North Lead on the Line at Bengals
The 6-2 Steelers face Cincinnati on Sunday Night Football on Nov. 15 with first place in the AFC North at stake for the second week running.
For the second week in a row, the Pittsburgh Steelers will play a game that decides who leads the AFC North. Pittsburgh sits at 6-2 after beating Cleveland 27-6, and it now travels to Cincinnati on Sunday, Nov. 15, for a Sunday Night Football game on NBC.
As Behind the Steel Curtain noted in a piece syndicated by SB Nation on Yahoo Sports, Pittsburgh's hold on first place comes from its win over the Bengals in the first meeting. A Cincinnati win next Sunday would flip that around and give the Bengals sole possession of first place. With the season series tied at one game apiece, the division race would go to the next tiebreakers.
The Steelers have already won one game like this. The Browns came into last week's game in the race, and Pittsburgh held them to six points. That loss dropped Cleveland to 5-3, according to the division standings on Bengals.com, which leaves Baltimore at 4-4. Cincinnati is the team closest to the top now. The Bengals will wear their "White Bengal" look for the prime-time game, the team's site said.
What it means for Sunday night in Cincinnati
Pittsburgh comes in on a four-game winning streak. It beat Indianapolis 34-22, won 26-19 at Tampa Bay, edged New Orleans 16-10 and then handled Cleveland. The defense is the big reason. Over the last three games the Steelers have allowed 35 points, or under 12 a game. Across all eight games they have scored 180 points and allowed 144, a margin of plus-36.
The concern is where this game will be played. Pittsburgh is 5-0 at Acrisure Stadium and 1-2 on the road. The Bucs game is its only road win. The other two road trips were the worst games of the season: a 20-3 loss at New England, when the offense scored only a field goal, and a 27-24 loss at Cleveland. Paycor Stadium in prime time will be the hardest road test the team has faced since then.
The Week 3 win over Cincinnati, 30-27 in Pittsburgh, is the main reason the Steelers lead the division. It was also their closest win of the year and one of only two games in which they gave up more than 22 points. That game was a shootout, and the recent wins have been decided by defense. Sunday's result should show which of those styles holds up against the Bengals.
Plenty is riding on the outcome. A win would give Pittsburgh a season sweep of Cincinnati, a two-game edge over the Bengals in the standings and a 2-1 division record. A loss would put the Steelers in second place halfway through November, with both of their division road games so far ending in defeat.