by Thomas Quaynor for Wannamakeabet.com
Long-time division rivals clash in Week 11 as the Cincinnati Bengals (3-6) visit the Pittsburgh Steelers (5-4) on Sunday afternoon at Acrisure Stadium. This is the second and final meeting of the year between the bitter rivals.
The Bengals upset the Steelers 33-31 in the first meeting on Oct. 16. Pittsburgh rallied from multiple ten-point second-half deficits (20-10 and 27-17) to take a 31-30 lead with 2:21 remaining in the game after Aaron Rodgers connected with Pat Freiermuth for a 68-yard touchdown. Joe Flacco then led an 8-play, 52-yard drive which set up Evan McPherson’s 36-yard game-winning field goal with seven second left to go.
The first matchup between Cincinnati and Pittsburgh was dubbed the ‘Icy Hot Bowl’ due to the fact that starting quarterbacks Joe Flacco (40) and Aaron Rodgers (41) were over the age of 40. It marked the second time in the Super Bowl era (post-1966) that two quarterbacks over the age of 40 faced each other. Tom Brady and Drew Brees matched up three times during the 2020 season.
Pittsburgh is a 5.5-point favorite and the total is 48.5. The line has seen a significant shift as Cincinnati opened as a 1.5-point favorite prior to Week One. The 6-point swing in Pittsburgh favor is due to the absence of Cincinnati’s superstar quarterback Joe Burrow, who suffered a grade-3 turf toe injury in Week 2 and has not played since.
WHAT BOTH TEAMS DID IN THEIR PREVIOUS GAME
Cincinnati had a bye in Week 10 but suffered an excruciating 47-42 loss against the Chicago Bears at home in Week 9 on Nov. 2. The game featured four touchdowns over the final 4:53 of regulation. Chicago took a 41-27 lead with 4:53 left after a DJ Moore touchdown reception. The Bengals miraculously rallied to take a 42-41 over the next 4 minutes thanks to two Joe Flacco touchdown passes that was aided by an onside kick off recovery.
Chicago got the ball back on their own 28-yard line and drove 72 yards in just 37 seconds for the game-winning touchdown. Caleb Williams hit rookie tight end Colston Loveland on a short pass down the middle, Loveland then bounced off of four Bengals defenders and sprinted 36 yards untouched for the game-winning score with 17 seconds left in the game. Joe Flacco’s Hail Mary attempt on the game’s final play did not reach the end zone.
Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco threw for a career-high 470 yards in the loss to Chicago. He finished with four touchdowns and two interceptions. Flacco has provided a significant boost to the Bengals offense in his four games as the starting quarterback. Tee Higgins (7 catches for 121 yards, 2 touchdowns) and Ja’Marr Chase (6 catches for 111 yards) both eclipsed the 100-yard mark in the loss to Chicago.
Pittsburgh is coming off a listless 25-10 loss on the road against the Los Angeles Chargers last week on Sunday Night Football. The Chargers defense stifled Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers offense. They sacked Aaron Rodgers three times, picked him off twice, forced a fumble and held the Steelers to just 221 total yards of offense. Running back Jaylen Warren was one of the few bright spots in the loss to the Chargers. He rushed for 70 yards on 14 carries, and added 21 receiving yards on 2 catches.
GAME STORYLINES: CINCINNATI
After finishing with the NFL’s worst record (2-14) in 2019, the Cincinnati Bengals positioned themselves to draft prolific LSU quarterback Joe Burrow with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft. Burrow entered the NFL as one of the most decorated college prospects in draft history after completing a stellar 2019 season at LSU where he threw for 5,671 with 60 touchdowns to 5 interceptions while leading LSU to a 15-0 record and the 2019-20 BCS National Championship.
Joe Burrow’s six seasons with Cincinnati have been star-crossed as he led the Bengals to the Super Bowl in his second season in 2021 (the Bengals first Super Bowl appearance since the 1988 season), the AFC Championship Game the following year in 2022 and amassed one of the best statistical seasons (4,918 passing yards, 43 touchdowns to 9 interceptions) last year. But he’s suffered significant injuries in his three other seasons — 2020, 2023 and this season.
Joe Burrow suffered season-ending injuries after 10 games in 2020 (knee) as a rookie and 2023 (wrist) in year four. He went down with a grade-3 turf toe injury in Week 2 this season. The Bengals placed Burrow on the IR-return list meaning he can return to the field at some point, possibly by Thanksgiving (Nov. 27). Cincinnati is contemplating bringing Burrow back, even though they are currently 3-6 with faint playoff hopes.
Backup quarterback Jake Browning initially filled in for Joe Burrow, leading the Bengals to a comeback 31-27 win over Jacksonville in the game where Burrow got hurt. But Browning and the Bengals struggled over the next 3 weeks — all blowout losses — which prompted Cincinnati to trade for 40-year-old Joe Flacco on Oct. 7. Flacco was benched by the Cleveland Browns after struggling in the first four weeks of the season.
Cincinnati’s decision to acquire Joe Flacco seemed like a curious move as he posted a paltry 2 touchdowns to 6 interceptions over 4 starts (1-3 record) with Cleveland. But the 40-year-old Flacco has defied father time since joining the Bengals, throwing for 1,254 yards with 11 touchdowns to 2 interceptions while completing 64.7 percent of his passes in 4 starts. Flacco has been one of the NFL’s top quarterbacks over the four-week span he’s been the Bengals starter.
Superstar wideout Ja’Marr Chase continues to amass phenomenal numbers in year five. The 25-year-old, LSU product has 76 catches for 831 yards and 5 touchdowns in 9 games. He ranks first in catches and second in yards amongst all wide receivers. Chase set a franchise record with 16 catches in the Bengals 33-31 victory against Pittsburgh on Oct. 16. He’s made the Pro Bowl in each of his first four years in the NFL and was named to the All-Pro team twice.
GAME STORYLINES: PITTSBURGH
Following the 2021 season, future Hall of Famer and two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Ben Roethlisberger announced his retirement on Jan. 27, 2022. Roethlisberger spent his entire 18-year career (2004-2021) with the Steelers after they selected him 11th overall in the 2004 draft.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have been desperately searching for a suitable replacement at quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement. Initially, the Steelers used the draft to find their quarterback of the future and selected University of Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft, a few months after retired. Pickett never developed into the franchise quarterback that the Steelers envisioned and they eventually traded him to the Philadelphia Eagles following the 2023 season, after just two years with the team.
Last season, Pittsburgh had veteran Russell Wilson and then-25-year-old Justin Fields start at quarterback, but moved on from both players after they produced pedestrian results. Wilson (Giants) and Fields (Jets) are no longer with the team.
The Steelers turned to 41-year-old, future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers to quarterback the team this year. Pittsburgh signed the four-time NFL MVP and Super Bowl champion Rodgers to a one-year, $13.65 million last June after a disappointing two-year stint with the New York Jets. Despite the underwhelming team success with the Jets, Rodgers threw for 28 touchdowns last year.
On the season, Aaron Rodgers has thrown for 1,853 yards with 18 touchdowns to 7 interceptions while completing 66.8 percent of his passes. Rodgers is on pace to throw the most touchdown passes by a Steelers quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger notched 33 in 2020. If the Steelers can hold off the Baltimore Ravens, they’ll win the AFC North division for the first time since 2020.
Pittsburgh made another big splash in the offseason when they acquired star wideout DK Metcalf via trade from the Seattle Seahawks. The 27-year-old, two-time Pro-Bowler Metcalf (32 catches for 502 yards, 5 touchdowns in 9 gms) hasn’t been the game-breaking wideout that many expected but he possesses All-Pro ability and is capable of putting together several breakout performances over the final 7 games of the season.
Pittsburgh’s traditionally stout defense has been inconsistent this year ranking 28th (of 32 teams) in total defense and giving up 24.4 ppg which also ranks among the bottom half of the NFL. Despite the stunning futility of the defense, All-Pro linebacker T.J. Watt continues to produce at an elite level. The 31-year-old, six-time All-Pro and 2021 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Watt has 37 tackles, 6 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries and 1 interception through 9 games in 2025.
THE PICK: STEELERS (-5.5)
I expect the Steelers will be out for revenge after their distressing 33-31 loss to the Bengals in the first meeting on Oct. 16. I look for an inspired effort from the underachieving Steelers defense and a bounce-back game from Aaron Rodgers. Lay the Points…Steelers 31, Bengals 20