Bengals (3-6) at Steelers (5-4) Sunday, Nov. 16 at Acrisure Stadium (natural grass), 1 p.m. ET, TV: CBS: Locally WKRC-TV Ch. 12 (Cincinnati) Kevin Harlan (PBP), Trent Green (analyst), Melanie Collins (sideline). Radio: Dan Hoard, Dave Lapham. 700 WLW AM, WEBN-FM (102.7 FM), ESPN1530.
CINCINNATI — The Bengals are back on the hope train.
With a win Sunday in Pittsburgh, the Bengals will be just one game out of first place in the AFC North, having swept Pittsburgh and holding a 3-0 record in the division. Finish 9-8 and go 5-1 in the division and the Bengals will almost certain capture the division. But this implies the Bengals will finally find an answer to their atrocious defensive woes.
In back-to-back losses to the Jets and Bears at home, they surrendered over 500 yards of offense in each game, including 570 to Caleb Williams and the Bears two weeks ago. They blew a 38-24 lead to Justin Fields and the Jets and managed to lose, 39-38, on a trick play.
They weren’t exactly the ’85 Bears against the Steelers in their only win in the last eight weeks either. The Steelers rallied late for a 31-30 lead before Joe Flacco rescued them and set up Evan McPherson’s 36-yard game-winner in a 33-31 win on Oct. 16 at Paycor.
The Bengals are dead last in the NFL in total yards 426.6/game and rushing 166.4 per game and 30th in passing at 260.1 per game. This kicks off a five-game make-or-break for the Bengals, with the Patriots, at Ravens (on Thanksgiving night), at Bills and home to Ravens in the stretch. If they can manage to go 3-2, with at least two of those in the division, they set themselves up for the final three against Miami, Arizona and Cleveland.
But it must start Sunday in Pittsburgh.
“I’m going to keep fighting,” Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said. “The coaches are going to keep fighting. I know these players have shown that they’re going to keep fighting. It’s frustrating for everybody to put in the work that’s being put in, and this is the result we’ve had. It’s frustrating. Sometimes, you’ve got to take a deep breath and then come back to work and try to uplift others. I’ve faced a lot of adversity here, and the only thing I know how to do is keep trying to lift people up.”
“We’ve talked about it — this can’t be a lost season for us. We have got to come out of this bye rejuvenated and find a way to win. Winning one game certainly propels you, and you’ve got to build some momentum off that. We had a chance after the (Week 7) Pittsburgh game and kind of wasted two opportunities there. How much different could things have been if we’d finished those two games out? We’d still have issues we would have to address, but we’d be in a better position. We’ve just got to find a way to kickstart that and build our own momentum.”
Flacco will make his fifth start since replacing Jake Browning as Joe Burrow’s backup. Flacco practiced only once during the week before the Bears game due to a sprained AC joint in his right shoulder. Flacco, who will again practice only once this week to protect the shoulder, has been the least of Cincinnati’s problems without Joe Burrow. Flacco threw for 470 yards and four touchdowns in the loss to the Bears has led the Bengals to 40 points in the two losses.
From his first Bengals start in Week 6 through his most recent appearance in Week 9, the 40-year-old Flacco led the league in passing attempts (173), completions (112), passing yards (1254) and TD passes (11), while being intercepted just twice in that span.
The Bengals are catching a break this week as linebackers Alex Highsmith and Cole Holcomb are out as is corner Darius Slay. The Bengals will be without running back Samaje Perine and edge rushers Trey Hendrickson and Shemar Stewart. The Bengals are looking for two role players to step up in rookie running back Tahj Brooks and second-year edge Cedric Johnson.
“There’s a lot as a rookie to learn offensively for us. Think he’s picked it up as well as anybody could hoped,” Taylor said of Brooks. “It’s just now it’s about opportunity and showcasing what you can do. But from a trust standpoint, he’s done that for us, and so now it’s just when he gets his opportunities, if he gets his opportunities, making the most of them. But excited for his the progress that he’s continued to make.”
Brooks had a strong reputation as a pass protector at Texas Tech and will be relied upon to continue with the Bengals. Perine is considered an elite pass protector as a running back and was a reason the Bengals brought him back. Brooks will be tested against one of the best pass rushing fronts in football.
Defensively, the Bengals will be without two key pieces as defensive ends Trey Hendrickson (hip/pelvis) and Shemar Stewart (knee) did not practice and have been ruled out, along with Perine. And NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Saturday that Stewart is expected to head to the injured reserve with a knee injury.
Bengals DE Shemar Stewart is going on injured reserve because of a knee injury, per sources.
Stewart, the first-round pick, showed flashes of dominance in Week 1. But an ankle injury in Week 2 has lingered and now a knee injury takes him out at least four games. pic.twitter.com/m8qzWeb34G
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 15, 2025
While Flacco has formed a rapport on the field with several Bengals playmakers, his primary target remains Ja’Marr Chase. The
reigning “Triple Crown” winner has 44 receptions over his four games with Flacco under center, which tied former Detroit WR Calvin Johnson (2012) for the most catches in a four-game span in NFL history. Following the bye week, Chase still leads the league in receptions this season (76), while ranking second in receiving yards (831).
On Oct. 16 in Cincinnati, Joe Flacco outdueled Aaron Rodgers and led the Bengals back from a one-point deficit in the final two minutes, capturing a 33-31 win on Evan McPherson’s 36-yard field goal with seven seconds remaining. Flacco finished 31-of-47 for 342 yards and three touchdowns while Rodgers threw for 249 yards and four touchdowns but was intercepted twice.
Fresh from their bye week, Cincinnati (3-6) enters having lost two straight and six of seven after a 2-0 start the season. Pittsburgh (5-4) is hanging onto first in the AFC North, despite losing three of four after a 4-1 start.
Last week, the Steelers managed just 10 points and 221 total yards in a 25-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday night. Aaron Rodgers completed just 16-of-31 passes for 161 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. The Steelers had to get on a plane and travel home on a red-eye from Los Angeles, knowing their lead over the Baltimore Ravens was down to one game.
“I’m not lacking confidence,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “I don’t need a pat on the back. We stunk it up. We’ll be back.”
“I expect to play great every single week and (last Sunday) was not my best performance. I got to play better than this for us to win,” Rodgers added. “Whatever it takes, if it’s better checks, if it’s better throws, whatever it is, I’ve got to play better. I will. We’ve got to bounce back. We have a division opponent (this) week. We’re 5-4. We are ahead by a game in the division, and we got to play better on offense for sure, but this is part of the season.”
The series: The Steelers lead 71-41 overall, including 2-0 in postseason. The two postseason games both were Steelers wins in Wild Card
round contests at Paycor Stadium after the 2005 and ’15 seasons. The Bengals have played more games against the Steelers (112) than any
other foe. Cleveland is second in that category at 104, and Tennessee (formerly Houston Oilers) is third at 80.
Here’s what to look for:
- When the Bengals have the ball:
Can Flacco keep up the magic? He’ll have to take care of the ball on the road against the Steelers in a game they look at as a “get right” game after the 25-10 embarrassment to the Chargers on Sunday night. The Steelers may not have Highsmith, Slay and Holcomb but they still have T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward, Patrick Queen, Nick Herbig, Payton Wilson and this year’s first round pick in Derrick Harmon, an edge out of Oregon. This is a front that keeps Zac Taylor up late at night. Jalen Ramsey is now at safety, Kyle Dugger is their strong safety and the “handsy” Joey Porter figures to go up against Ja’Marr Chase again. If Flacco gets the time, he could repeat his numbers of Oct. 16 in Cincinnati. Ja’Marr Chase had 161 yards on 16 catches on 24 targets in the first matchup. Tee Higgins caught six for 96 yards and a touchdown. The numbers should be there again Sunday.
- When the Steelers have the ball:
This we know: The sky is blue. The sun rises in the East and sets in the West. And Pat Freiermuth kills the Bengals. The tight end had five catches for 111 yards on Oct. 16, including two touchdowns. He went for 153 yards on 14 catches last year with two scores. He had nine grabs for 120 yards in 2023. He had 154 yards on 13 catches in 2022. And seven for 64 yards and two scores in 2021. And in Aaron Rodgers will no doubt be looking to bounce back from his rough outing in LA. He had his moments against the Bengals on Oct. 16. But the key to the game may come down to how effectively the Steelers run the ball with Jaylen Warren. There’s been grumbling in Pittsburgh that their best players haven’t been getting the ball enough, and Warren is right there with DK Metcalf in terms of the most significant weapons at Rodgers disposal. Warren had just 31 yards on 16 carries in a win over the Colts. He improved to 70 yards against the Chargers but only touched the ball 16 times, including 14 carries. The Bengals have the worst run defense in football and the Steelers may decide to come out and just pound the rock like they did three weeks ago when Warren went for 127 yards on 16 carries. Will Bengals rookie linebackers Barrett Carter and Demetrius Knight respond? Could Oren Burks replace Knight as the starting weak side linebacker? The Bengals have to do something to jump start their feeble defense. The Steelers enter with the 29th ranked offense in football, including 30th in rushing, averaging just 85.7 yards a game. But will that matter when the worst defense in football is on the other side?
- Bottom Line:
The Bengals defense can’t play any worse, right? Right? Yes, we’ve thought that for three weeks now but perhaps they are playing the right team with internal problems of their own. We thought that with the Bengals playing the Jets, and that held for three quarters until the Bengals thought the game was over at 38-24. The Bengals know their season is still salvageable, and Joe Burrow is waiting in the wings for a Thanksgiving return against the Ravens. That should be enough to play inspired. Either Cedric Johnson or Tahj Brooks (or maybe both) will have a surprising positive contribution and the Bengals will find a way to at least be relevant for a Joe Burrow return.
Bengals 25, Steelers 19
