CINCINNATI (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers had stacked up five straight wins and pulled ahead in the race for the AFC North before letting one slip away to the lowly Browns on a snowy Thursday night in Cleveland.
The Steelers have a chance to get back on track Sunday against the reeling Bengals (4-7), whose own playoff hopes are dwindling.
“It’s a huge game — every game from here on out, especially since it’s an AFC North game, Bengals, one of our rivals," said Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith, who hopes to play after missing the past two games with an ankle injury. “It’s our first game against them this year, but just to bounce back after a loss is just going to be huge for us."
Pittsburgh (8-3) is still in first place in the division by a half game over the Baltimore Ravens, whom the Steelers have to face again on the Saturday before Christmas. The Steelers downed Baltimore 18-16 on Nov. 17, a week before their stumble in Cleveland.
For the Bengals, a loss to Pittsburgh on Sunday will all but end their chances of returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2022. Cincinnati has blown leads and struggled to finish close games, losing three of its past four.
“It’s December football,” Cincinnati coach Zac Taylor said. “This is where it means something. Regardless of what our record is right now, you need to play your best football in December. Now more than ever we’re going to need that from our guys. And they understand that.”
Frustration building
The Bengals' 4-7 record belies the fact that some of their players are putting up NFL-best numbers.
Entering Week 13, quarterback Joe Burrow is among the league leaders in completions (274), passing yards (3,028) and touchdowns (27). Burrow has expressed his frustration in recent weeks over the team's inability to close out opponents.
Star wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase is leading the NFL in yards receiving (1,056), yards after the catch (481) and touchdowns (12) going into Week 13. Edge rusher Trey Hendrickson is leading the league with 11 1/2 sacks.
QB tandem
The Steelers have raised some eyebrows recently by having Justin Fields take over for Russell Wilson during certain game situations, with mixed results.
Fields helped seal a victory over Baltimore two weeks ago by running for an 8-yard gain on Pittsburgh’s final drive. Fields was also behind center on Pittsburgh’s penultimate possession in Cleveland and threw incomplete down the sideline on third down — his first pass in more than a month — that gave the ball back to the Browns, who then drove for the winning score.
Kicking woes
Bengals kicker Evan McPherson, who picked up the nickname “Money Mac” for his reliability in his first three seasons, is slumping badly and worked during the bye week trying to figure it out.
McPherson missed two field goals in the final eight minutes that would have given the Bengals the lead in the 34-27 loss to the Chargers Nov. 17. For the season, he's made 15 of 21 field-goal attempts for a 71.4% rate, which ranks near the bottom of the league. He's 3 of 5 in attempts of 40 to 50 yards, and 3 for 7 from beyond 50.
“Hard Knocks” life
The AFC North is getting the in-season “Hard Knocks” treatment in a first-of-its-kind production that will focus on all four teams in the division rather than just one.
That includes the Steelers, who have avoided being featured in the documentary institution since its inception in 2001. Camera crews arrived in Pittsburgh on Halloween to start gathering footage for the series, and coach Mike Tomlin is treating their presence the same way he treats just about everything else: as a competition.
“To me, it’s something to conquer to be quite honest with you,” the NFL’s longest-tenured coach said. “We have to deal with it better than the other three teams. That’s how I view a lot of things that come across my plate, particularly when others have to deal with it."
The first episode of “Hard Knocks: In Season” debuts on Tuesday night.
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AP Sports Writer Will Graves contributed.
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Mitch Stacy, The Associated Press
