Sunday Night Football: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cincinnati Bengals Preview And Prediction

The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off a bye week. Before the bye, they dominated the Cleveland Browns 27-6 to move to 6-2 and take the AFC North lead while the Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Atlanta Falcons 34-17 last week in Madrid to tie the Steelers atop the division. Now, both teams are set to face each other in a critical Week 10 divisional matchup on Sunday Night Football for the division lead.

Pittsburgh Steelers Heading Into Sunday Night Football

Before their bye week, the Steelers delivered their most complete team performance against the Browns, winning their first game of the season by 12+ points. Their offense, which has been inconsistent this season, got off to a fast start, scoring on four of their five drives before finishing with 27 points. The running game dominated, rushing for 200 yards on 33 carries and scoring three touchdowns, with Jaylen Warren leading the way with 143 yards on 17 carries and a touchdown.

Pittsburgh’s defense had an incredible performance as it didn’t let Cleveland score a single touchdown. After giving up 27 points in their first divisional matchup, the unit sacked Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson eight times, recovered two fumbles, and allowed only four third-down conversions on 13 attempts. They also forced two turnovers on downs, limited the Browns’ running game to 34 yards, and didn’t allow Cleveland to score a touchdown on three red-zone trips. After this win, the Steelers have now won four straight games heading into Sunday Night Football.

The Streaking Cincinnati Bengals Heading Into Critical Divisional Showdown Against Pittsburgh

Just like the Steelers, the Bengals head into Sunday Night Football on a four-game winning streak after beating the Falcons last week. During this winning streak, the offense has been playing at its best, scoring 30+ points in four straight games for the first time since 1997 and tying a franchise record.

In their game against the Falcons, quarterback Joe Burrow continued to play at an MVP level, throwing three touchdowns on 271 yards while completing 24 of 29 passes with no turnovers. Wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase played a huge role in this win, with 10 receptions for 155 yards and a touchdown; eight of those receptions and 142 of those yards came in a career-high first half. After the defense struggled against the Tennessee Titans in Week 8, the unit rebounded by limiting the Falcons to 17 points and 162 passing yards. They also forced an interception and prevented Atlanta from scoring a touchdown on two of its four red zone trips.

Steelers vs. Bengals Sunday Night Football Preview

Game: Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2) @ Cincinnati Bengals (6-2)

History: 73-41, Pittsburgh Steelers

Last Meeting: 30-27, Pittsburgh Steelers (2026)

Time: 8:20 p.m. (EST)

Location: Paycor Stadium | Cincinnati, OH

TV: NBC

Radio: WDVE 102.5 FM| 700 WLW | 1530 WCKY | 102.7 WEBN | SiriusXM 192, 193, XM App

Odds: Bengals -3.5 | O/U: 49.5

This will be the 115th meeting between the two divisional opponents and the 56th in Cincinnati. The Steelers hold a 33-22 record against the Bengals on the road, including two postseason wins. Pittsburgh has won five of the last seven meetings, but both teams have split the regular-season series for three of the last four seasons. Cincinnati had lost three consecutive games against the Steelers at home before ending that streak last year. The last time both teams met in Cincinnati was in 2025, when the Bengals defeated the Steelers 33-31 on a game-winning field goal.

Steelers Need To Carry Momentum Into Sunday Night Football

The Steelers are in their best form of the season heading into Sunday Night Football, having won four straight games since losing to the Cleveland Browns in Week 4, as mentioned. During this winning streak, the offense has averaged almost 26 points and has surpassed the 25-point mark three times, up from once in the first four games, which came against the Bengals in their first regular-season meeting.

Along with the improving offense, Pittsburgh’s defense has been a huge disruptor for opposing offenses, limiting them to 14.3 points per game during the winning streak. They have sacked quarterbacks 16 times in the last four games, compared to only 10 sacks in the first four. Along with five turnovers, they have also limited opponents to under 40% on third downs in three of their last four games, except against the New Orleans Saints, who converted 62.5% of their third-down attempts.

If the Steelers don’t carry their momentum from both sides of the ball after the bye week, they will struggle to beat a Bengals team with the same momentum.

Mike McCarthy Believes Steelers Are Playing Better Ahead of Bengals Rematch

The Steelers and Bengals have already met once this season, with Pittsburgh beating Cincinnati 30-27 in Week 3. However, Pittsburgh did not enter that game in good form, as its offense had scored only one touchdown in the first two games and the team had scored just 23 points. Since then, the team has found a rhythm, winning five of their last six games and now sitting at 6-2, tied atop the AFC North.

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy talked about the improvements he’s seen from his team since their first meeting with the Bengals.

“I think we’re playing differently than we were the first time around. I think we’re better. We’re definitely performing better in the trenches,” McCarthy said. “Offensively, our ball distribution is better. I really love the way our defense has taken a big step. Our guys are doing a hell of a job taking care of the football, but doing a phenomenal job taking it away. Not only the takeaways, but we’re getting hits on the ball.”

Key to the game: Pittsburgh’s defense needs to do a better job of pressuring Burrow after only one sack in the first meeting despite forcing two turnovers.

Aaron Rodgers Focused On Bigger Goals Despite 6-2 Record

Even though the Steelers’ offense has played better during the four-game winning streak, the passing game remains a major struggle. Despite 273 passing yards against the Bengals in Week 3, Pittsburgh has averaged 210.5 passing yards per game this season, ranking 19th in the NFL. During the four-game winning streak, the passing game has failed to surpass 225 yards, but the running game has been the catalyst for the team’s offensive success.

Heading into Sunday Night Football, the Steelers’ running game has averaged 117.9 yards per game, including 141 yards per game during the four-game winning streak. A big reason for that success has been the production of Jaylen Warren, who leads the NFL with 5.92 yards per carry. This season, Warren has rushed for 704 yards, the sixth-most in the league, and has rushed for over 100 yards in three of the last four games. This has helped offset the struggles in the passing game.

Despite Pittsburgh’s 6-2 record, the team still needs to make improvements not only to make the NFL Playoffs but also to be a serious playoff contender in the AFC. This has been a huge problem for the team, as they haven’t won a playoff game since 2017, despite making the playoffs six times since then. During Wednesday’s press conference, quarterback Aaron Rodgers said he wants the team to hold itself to a higher standard if it wants to achieve bigger goals this season.

“When you win, sometimes it can gloss over some areas that need improvement if you want to get to where you want to get to. Even though we are 6-2, we’re playing for the division lead again this week,” Rodgers said. “We need to hold ourselves to a standard of winning in the playoffs and winning in January and February, and we need to climb to that standard.”

Key to the game: Aaron Rodgers must replicate the passing game success he had against the Bengals in a potential shootout.

Pittsburgh Needs To Continue Run Game Success

Even though the Steelers have to improve their passing game, the running game also has to continue its success this season. In their Week 3 win over the Bengals, Pittsburgh finished with 138 rushing yards, with Warren getting 127 of those yards, which helped them extend drives and keep Cincinnati’s offense off the field as much as possible. For that reason, McCarthy emphasized that both the offensive and defensive lines need to keep playing Pittsburgh Steelers football if the team wants to take command of the division after Sunday Night Football.

Key to the game: Warren needs to establish the ground game to keep Cincinnati off the field as much as possible.

Cincinnati Bengals Embracing High-Stakes Sunday Night Football Showdown Against Steelers

It’s been a while since the Bengals have played in a game with this much on the line, like this week’s Sunday Night Football matchup against the Steelers. Cincinnati’s 6-2 start is the best start it has had in eight years under head coach Zac Taylor as the team looks to win the AFC North for the first time since 2022.

The biggest reason for the team’s success has been an offense that has been one of the best in the NFL, averaging 35.8 points during the team’s four-game winning streak. The team averages 30 points per game, the second-most in the NFL, and leads the league in passing yards per game with 285.5 yards. Due to the offense’s success, it has been able to offset a defense that has shown flaws throughout the season. However, with the division lead on the line, Burrow knows how important Sunday Night Football is to the team.

“This is as big of a game as we’ve had here for a while. We lost to them early in the season,” Burrow said. “So number one, with the standings at the end of the year, you want that to be split, and number two, for first place outright. And so, like you said, huge game.”

In the first matchup against the Steelers, Cincinnati’s offense played well, scoring 27 points, which tied Pittsburgh’s most points allowed in a game. Along with that, Burrow was well protected, as he was sacked only once. However, the biggest reason the Bengals still lost was that they lost the turnover battle, committing two turnovers, including a game-losing fumble, compared to the Steelers’ one. The defense also struggled, allowing 30 points and letting the Steelers dominate the run game.

Ahead of Sunday Night Football, Taylor emphasized the importance of this rivalry game and expressed confidence that his defense can rise to the challenge after its struggles in the first meeting.

“I understand how much this game means to our fans and the city, and so you don’t take that for granted either. You’re playing for a lot of people in these types of games,” Taylor said. “It’s another task for [the defense] that I’m excited to watch them rise up to the opportunity and play the way that we knew they could play.”

Along with defensive improvements, Taylor said he wants to make sure Burrow is well-protected again against the Steelers’ talented defensive line, which has sacked him 24 times in eight meetings. The Steelers head into Sunday Night Football with 26 sacks, tied for the fourth-most in the league. That’s why Taylor said that he’s learned to scheme up protection during his years playing against Pittsburgh.

This Sunday Night Football game is as big as it gets for the Bengals. This is the seventh time the two teams have met, with first place in the AFC North on the line. In five of those six instances, the winner has gone on to win the division that season. Whoever wins this game will control their destiny to win the division, and if the Bengals want to be that team, they’ll have to learn from the mistakes they made in their previous battle.