Quite a bit will be on the line when the Pittsburgh Steelers play host to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 18 of the 2024 NFL season. The Steelers are playing for playoff positioning, while the Bengals need a win to keep their postseason hopes alive. 

Pittsburgh (10-6) will already know whether or not it can win the AFC North by the time the ball is kicked off on Saturday night. If the Ravens defeat the Browns earlier in the day, the best the Steelers can do is the AFC’s fifth seed, which would mean a wild-card round matchup with the Texans in Houston. But if Baltimore is upset, Pittsburgh can jump up to the No. 3 seed with a win over Cincinnati. The Steelers would fall to the No. 6 seed (and would play Baltimore in the first round) if they lose to the Bengals and the Chargers defeat the Raiders. 

Cincinnati (8-8) needs to beat Pittsburgh and will also need losses by the Broncos and Dolphins to grab the AFC’s seventh and final playoff spot. Denver will face a Kansas City team that will rest several starters, including quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Miami will face the Jets in what could possibly be the final game of Aaron Rodgers‘ career. 

The Steelers and Bengals will enter Saturday’s game in polar opposite directions. Pittsburgh has lost three straight and is 1-3 since defeating the Bengals back in Week 13. Cincinnati has won four straight games since losing to Pittsburgh, including last Saturday’s dramatic overtime win over Denver. 

Below is all the info you need as far as following the action, along with a full game preview and prediction for how Saturday’s night game might play out. 

• Date: Saturday, Jan. 4 | Time: 8 p.m. ET
• Location: Acrisure Stadium (Pittsburgh)
• TV: ABC/ESPN | Live stream: fubo (try for free) 
• Follow: CBS Sports App 
• Odds: Bengals -1.5, OU 48.5 (via BetMGM)

When the Bengals have the ball 

Cincinnati’s offense is enjoying a highly successful season, led by Pro Bowlers Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase. Burrow, who currently leads the NFL in both passing yards and touchdown passes, recently became only the 11th quarterback in history to throw at least 40 touchdowns in a season. Chase is one game away from becoming the fifth receiver since the merger to win the “triple crown.” 

The Bengals offense is always good, but it’s almost unstoppable when Tee Higgins is healthy. The Bengals are 7-4 in games Higgins has played in this year and 1-4 in games he has missed. Last Saturday, Higgins played through two multiple injuries but still managed to catch three touchdowns in Cincinnati’s season-saving win over Denver. Higgins has caught a career-high 10 touchdowns this year despite missing five games due to injury. 

Higgins (ankle/knee) and running back Chase Brown (ankle) both entered Saturday as questionable. Higgins is good to go, though Brown will miss the contest after not practicing all week due to the injury sustained late in last week’s win. Khalil Herbert, who has had just eight carries for the Bengals since being acquired at the deadline, will replace Brown. 

Brown’s absence is a pretty significant one as far as how the Bengals will likely attack Pittsburgh’s defense. Two years ago, when the Bengals recorded a 37-30 win in Pittsburgh, the Bengals relied on Higgins (who caught nine passes for 148 yards with Chase out with an injury) and now Chiefs running back Samaje Perine, who caught three touchdown passes. Like Perine, Brown is an excellent receiver out of the backfield, and it’s conceivable to think that the Bengals will utilize that element of his game against the Steelers if he plays. Now, more of Burrow’s intermediate throws will likely go to tight end Mike Gesicki, who caught a season-high 10 passes against Denver. 

As they have whenever Higgins has been healthy this year, expect the Bengals to take full advantage of their talented receiving duo while using their running game as a complementary piece. The big key is going to be protecting Burrow, who was slung down by Denver’s league-best pass rush seven times. Like Denver, the Steelers employ several formidable pass rushers, led by Pro Bowlers T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward. Expect the Bengals to put an extra emphasis on blocking Watt, which could lead to more opportunities for Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig (who had a big strip-sack on Burrow back in Week 11) on the left side. 

When the Steelers have the ball 

On both sides of the ball, Pittsburgh has a lot to clean up entering the playoffs, and it’ll use Saturday’s game to do so. Specifically, Pittsburgh’s defense is hoping to capitalize on its turnover opportunities after largely failing to do so the past three games. On offense, the focus is on taking better care of the ball after committing several crushing turnovers during the three game losing streak. 

They weren’t all his fault, but Russell Wilson was nonetheless responsible for three turnovers during Pittsburgh’s two most recent games, with one resulting in a pick six. Wilson’s end zone interception against the Chiefs on Christmas Day was another throw he’d surely like to have back. 

Expect a cleaner game Saturday from Wilson, who had his best game of the season (sans his pick six on the game’s first series) against the Bengals five weeks ago. But given Wilson’s recent turnovers, along with the fact that the Bengals defense has been extremely opportunistic as of late, one would think that Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith will lean more on the running game and Najee Harris, who had 129 all-purpose yards and a touchdown against Cincinnati in Week 11. 

Pittsburgh may run more than it has in recent weeks, but rest assured that Smith will still dial up some deep balls for Wilson, who had considerable success throwing downfield earlier this year. It’s not a secret that Pittsburgh’s passing game needs some work before the playoffs, so expect Wilson to get plenty of chances to throw the ball. Look for Wilson to focus on getting the ball to George Pickens, who recorded a career-high 195 yards and two touchdowns the last time the Bengals came to Pittsburgh. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is surely hoping that either Mike Williams or Van Jefferson can make a big play to help open things up for Pickens and Calvin Austin III. 

Turnovers will be the key in this matchup. Cincinnati has forced 12 turnovers during its four-game winning streak that includes eight interceptions. If the Bengals defense can force a turnover of two, the chances of winning will significantly increase. Conversely, it’s hard to fathom the Bengals winning this game without getting at least one turnover from the defense. 

Prediction

This game can go either way; it’s about as evenly matched of a game as you can get, with a considerable amount on the line for both teams. The Bengals have more at stake, though, and their sheer determination to get one step closer toward a possible playoff berth is why I’m picking them to win this game. 

If Cincinnati wins, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it was a bad night for the Steelers, especially if their offense has a good showing against a defense that has made a lot of other units (including theirs) look good this season. 

Score: Bengals 24, Steelers 20