Cheat Sheet: Steelers vs. Bengals

SERIES HISTORY

Pittsburgh leads the series , which began in 1970, 71-39. Two of those games occurred in the postseason, in 2006 and 2016, with the Steelers winning both of those contests. The Steelers swept Cincinnati last season and hope to again in 2024. Pittsburgh was recently on an 11-game winning streak against the Bengals between Dec. 2015 to Nov. 2020. Cincinnati has won just 13 of the 51 games between these divisional rivals that have been played in the 2000s. Mike Tomlin is 27-11 vs. Cincinnati, including a playoff win in 2016. The Bengals are 3-3 when Joe Burrow starts vs. Pittsburgh, and Burrow didn't finish one of the losses because of injury.

MATCHUP OVERVIEW

• The Steelers now sit at 10-6 with a playoff berth clinched. But they are behind Baltimore in the AFC North standings. They have five wins at home and five wins on the road with a remaining home contest against the Bengals, a game Pittsburgh will have had 11 days for which to prepare before entering the playoffs. Pittsburgh is 3-2 in the division. The Bengals are 2-3 in the AFC North, but they are on a four-game winning streak and now stand at 8-8. Cincinnati is 5-3 away from home. Week 17 was the first time this season the Bengals defeated a team that was over .500.
• The Bengals could be the fourth team in NFL history to make the playoffs despite starting the season losing eight of their first 12 games. If so, the AFC North would be the second division to have more than two teams in the postseason since the 2002 division realignment.
• The Bengals also could be the third team in NFL history to miss the playoffs despite throwing 40 or more touchdown passes.
• The Steelers have outscored their opponents by 35 points this season, but over this three-game losing streak Pittsburgh has been outscored by 50 points. The Bengals have a plus-36 point differential and are plus-41 over their past four games.
• The current record of the three teams that defeated the Steelers during their three-game losing streak is 38-9.
• The Steelers won the turnover battle 3 to 1 in the first meeting this season. Pittsburgh is plus-15 in turnover differential with 31 takeaways vs. 16 giveaways. The Steelers have produced 10 more interceptions than they have thrown. Cincinnati's turnover differential is plus-4, but the Bengals have turned the ball over 10 times since Week 13 which is tied for fourth-most over that time.
• The Steelers currently have an average time of possession of 31:20 for the season. They are at 31:30 at home and 31:13 on the road. Pittsburgh possessed the ball for 31:09 in Week 13. Cincinnati possessed the football for 41:56 last week (compared to 26:57 for the Broncos) in an overtime game. The Bengals sit at 30:03 for the season.
• Pittsburgh has benefited from 14 more first downs via penalties than surrendered. The Steelers have 13.4 fewer penalty yards per game than they commit and 20 fewer penalties overall. In the first meeting, the Steelers were penalized nine times for 103 yards. The Bengals were penalized 11 times for 101 yards. In terms of total penalties taken, the Bengals have taken the 10^th fewest (95) and Pittsburgh has taken the 13^th fewest (99).
• Pittsburgh has 482 more rushing yards than allowed. The Steelers produce and allow 4.1 yards per rush attempt. Cincinnati has given up 542 more rushing yards than it has produced, and opponents have eight more rushing touchdowns.
• Ja'Marr Chase is tied for the league lead among all wide receivers with 16 end zone targets. Tee Higgins has missed five games, but he is tied for second with 15. George Pickens has missed three games but is eighth with 13 end zone targets.

WHEN PITTSBURGH HAS THE BALL

• The Steelers produce 5.1 yards per play. When these teams met in Week 13, the Steelers produced 7.9 yards per play. Cincinnati's allows 5.6 yards per play for the season.
• For the season, Pittsburgh is passing at a 50.2% rate. Only the Eagles, Ravens and Packers are lower.
• Pittsburgh's offense is first in the league in usage of 13 Personnel.
• The Steelers produce a first down or touchdown on 69% of drives. League average is 71%. The Bengals defense is at 76%. Only the Panthers and Jaguars are worse.
• The Steelers produced 520 yards from scrimmage in the first meeting against Cincinnati. The Bengals give up 358.0 yards per game, sixth most.
• Only the Panthers and Cowboys have allowed more touchdowns than Cincinnati, and only the Panthers, Falcons and Texans have allowed more passing touchdowns.
• Against teams that currently have a winning record, the Bengals defense gives up 34.9 points per game, 6.5 yards per play, 8.7 yards per pass attempt and 38.1% drives that turn into touchdowns - all most in the league.
• Wilson threw for 414 yards in Cincinnati earlier this year, the second-most of his career. He leads the NFL by averaging 3.9 deep completions (20-plus yards) per game.
• When throwing to George Pickens compared to all other Steelers receivers, Wilson's numbers are as follows: First down and touchdown rate: Pickens 42.3%, Not Pickens 36.4%, Explosive play rate: Pickens 25%, Not Pickens 16.4%, Yards per attempt: Pickens 10.3, Not Pickens 8.0.
• Pickens leads all NFL receivers in both receptions and receiving yards on deep passes (20-plus air yards), hauling in 15 such catches for 515 yards. Of all wide receivers with 50 or more targets, Pickens is fourth with a 45.0% team air yards share. Pickens' 15.5 yards per reception is sixth among all wide receivers with 50+ targets.
• In his first game back from injury, Pickens ran 41 of a possible 48 routes. Calvin Austin ran 38, Mike Williams 22 and Van Jefferson 21.
• Pat Freiermuth caught six passes for 68 yards and a touchdown against the Bengals earlier this season.
• Steelers running backs caught 13 passes on 13 targets when these teams last met.
• Cincinnati had five sacks two weeks ago vs. the Browns. Last week against Denver it had just two. Trey Hendrickson has 14 sacks. Next up among Bengals defenders is Joseph Ossai with 4.5. Cincinnati's 32 sacks are only better than five defenses and their sack percentage (5.1%) is only better than the Patriots, Falcons and Jaguars.
• Hendrickson has generated 85 pressures (2^nd) and 14 sacks (tied for 1^st). 81 of his 85 pressures have come off the right edge of the defense, where Hendrickson has aligned on 95.6% of his snaps.
• In Jaylen Warren's past 10 games, the matchup in Philadelphia was his only game that he didn't produce 59 or more yards from scrimmage. He has averaged 70.0 scrimmage yards per game since Week 7 and has had 90-plus scrimmage yards in back-to-back games with a season high of 117 in Week 17.
• Najee Harris joined Adrian Peterson and Chris Johnson as the only players in the last 20 years with 1,000-plus rushing yards in each of their first four seasons. Harris averages 4.4 yards per carry at home compared to 3.7 on the road.
• Wilson set a season high with his 55 rushing yards in Week 17.
• 49.8% of the rushing attempts against the Bengals come between the tackles. That is the fifth-highest percentage in the NFL.

WHEN CINCINNATI HAS THE BALL

• Pittsburgh allows 5.4 yards per play. The Bengals averaged 6.6 yards per play in the first meeting between these two teams and average 5.8 for the season.
• Only the Browns pass at a higher rate this season than Cincinnati (64.4%).
• Cincinnati is first in the league in usage of 02 Personnel and second in their usage of 03 Personnel, both of which do not have a running back on the field.
• Opposing offenses are attacking Pittsburgh out of 11 Personnel on 62.3% of snaps, the eighth-highest rate in the league.
• The Bengals produce a first down or touchdown on 76% of their drives. Only five offenses are better. Pittsburgh's defense is at 69%. Only five defenses are better.
• Only four offenses have scored more touchdowns than Cincinnati (53) this season.
• The Bengals racked up 34 first downs in Week 17 and ran 84 total plays, only 13 of which were on third downs. They ran 27 plays in the red zone.
• The Bengals average the most passing yards (274.6) in the league.
• Burrow threw his 40^th touchdown pass of the season last week, his first of three-all to Tee Higgins. He had 48 pass attempts, completing 38 for 409 yards. Burrow completed 10 of his 15 attempts of 10 of more yards downfield. Burrow has thrown for 250-plus yards with three or more touchdown passes in eight-straight games and is the fourth quarterback in NFL history with 10 such games. He has 44 total touchdowns against just eight turnovers this season.
• Burrow leads all quarterbacks in completions (248) and yards (2,234) on passes under 2.5 seconds this season, while also being tied with Baker Mayfield in touchdowns (20) on such passes.
• Chase is chasing the wide receiver "Triple Crown" for most receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns in the league. He has 117 receptions, 1,612 yards, and 16 touchdowns-all of which lead the league. He set the Bengals franchise record for catches in a season last week while hauling in nine receptions off 15 targets for 102 yards. Chase's 768 yards after the catch not only are the most in the league, but they are the most by any wide receiver in the past three seasons. Since entering the league in 2021, Chase's 2,413 yards after the catch are the most by any wide receiver.
• Not only did Higgins catch three touchdowns, but he caught 10 of 11 targets for 128 yards against Denver. Higgins has seven touchdowns since returning from injury in Week 11. His 78.0 receiving yards per game is the best of his career.
• With Higgins active, Burrow has a 14.7% explosive play rate and 38.5% first down/touchdown rate. When he is inactive, those numbers fall to 8.7% and 34.6%, respectively. Cincinnati averages 4.2 more points per game in the 11 games Higgins has played (29.6) than the ones he has missed (25.4).
• Only Malik Nabers averages more targets per game than Chase (9.9) and Higgins is sixth among wide receivers in targets per game (9.2). Chase has 34.7% of the Bengals receiving yards. Only four wide receivers have a higher team share.
• Against the Broncos, Mike Gesicki was targeted 12 times, catching 10 passes for 86 yards. In the first half last week, 45% of Burrow's pass attempts went to tight ends.
• While being blitzed on 41.4% of his dropbacks by Denver, Burrow still averaged a 2.23 second average time to throw, his quickest of his career. He was only sacked once while blitzed. Denver sacked Burrow seven times.
• The Bengals are being blitzed at a 24.3% rate. Only five offenses are blitzed at a lower rate.
• Among all defensive tackles, Cameron Heyward is second in sacks (8) and second in quarterback hits (20). He and Brian Burns are the only two players in the league with eight or more sacks and pass defensed this season.
• TJ Watt had two sacks in these team's first meeting. Over the past two weeks, Watt doesn't have a sack, quarterback hit or forced fumble and just one tackle for loss. But he was third in sacks (11.5), second in quarterback hits (27), first in tackles for loss (18), and first in forced fumbles (6) in Weeks 1 to 15.
• Last week was the first game all season the Steelers failed to record a sack and turnover.
• The Steelers allow 100.6 rushing yards per game, seventh best. Only three offenses average fewer rushing yards (94.1) per game than Cincinnati. However, only 14.2% of the Bengals' rush attempts have been stopped at or behind the line of scrimmage, fifth-best. Pittsburgh gives up 4.1 yards per rush, sixth-best.
• 57.9% of Cincinnati's rush attempts have come between the tackles, the highest percentage in the league. The Steelers defense sees inside runs at a 50.1% clip. Only the Ravens and 49ers see a higher percentage of between the tackles rush attempts.
• Pittsburgh has given up 43 rush attempts of 10 or more yards. Only five defenses have allowed fewer.
• Chase Brown got 100% of the Bengals running back rush attempts in regulation in Week 17 before getting injured before overtime. Khalil Herbert got all the overtime running back carries. Herbert has now appeared in seven games and has just eight carries for 45 yards with Cincinnati. Herbert out-snapped Trayveon Williams 18-1 and was the only running back other than Brown to get a touch last week.

SPECIAL TEAMS

• Chris Boswell and Brandon Aubrey are tied for most field goals attempts (43) this season, but Boswell leads the NFL with 40 successful field goals, the second-most in NFL history Aubrey has made 36. Boswell has made all extra point attempts. Boswell's 153 points are the most in the league. Aubrey and Ka'imi Fairbairn are tied for second at 137.
• Cade York has been Cincinnati's kicker for the past four games and kicked for Washington for one game this season. For the year, York has made five of nine attempts. From 40 or more yards, York is just one of four attempts.
• Pittsburgh has punted 63 times this year. Their opponents have punted 62 times.

MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT:

Dec. 31, 2006: Steelers 23, Bengals 17 (OT)

Coming into this final game of the 2006 regular season, the Bengals needed to win this game to get into the postseason while the Steelers were out of the playoff race. This was Bill Cowher's final game as the Steelers head coach and he produced a great quote, "Let me just say this. Misery loves company. And we're looking for company." Cowher got his wish as his Steelers took Cincinnati to the wire and kept the divisional rival out of the playoffs. Two great quarterbacks, Ben Roethlisberger and Carson Palmer, battled it out and he Steelers got 134 rushing yards from Willie Parker on 34 carries. In overtime, Roethlisberger hit Santonio Holmes on a quick slant that Holmes took to the end zone to crush Cincinnati's post season dreams.

KEY MATCHUPS

Bengals LT Orlando Brown vs. Steelers OLB Alex Highsmith - With TJ Watt on the other side and rookie RT Amarius Mims potentially out of action after leaving the game last week, the Bengals are likely to ask Brown to block Highsmith one-on-one for much of this contest. Burrow is superb at moving around against pressure, but he has taken a lot of punishment throughout the course of this season.

Steelers LT Dan Moore vs. Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson - Hendrickson is Cincinnati's best defensive player and clearly their most dangerous pass rusher. Hendrickson has been a standout player every year since the Bengals signed him. Cincinnati only had two sacks in these team's first meeting, none by Hendrickson. Pittsburgh will often give Moore help against Hendrickson, but he is still highly capable of causing havoc.