The NFL world is down on the Pittsburgh Steelers going into their Week 18 game against the Cincinnati Bengals, and for good reason.
Pittsburgh finished off three games in 10 days last Wednesday with a Christmas Day loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. The Steelers are now on a three-game losing streak, and head coach Mike Tomlin’s team has been outscored 90-40 in that span.
Looking ahead to Week 18, the Steelers still have a shot at winning the AFC North, but they’re going to need some help. On top of a win over Cincinnati, Pittsburgh needs the Baltimore Ravens to lose to the Cleveland Browns.
The Ravens play the Browns in the early game on Saturday before the Steelers take on the Bengals in the nightcap, so Pittsburgh will know what it’s playing for before taking the field against Cincy.
Even if the Ravens win, the Steelers will still have seeding to play for and can lock down the No. 5 spot with a win. That would set up an ideal matchup against a struggling Houston Texans team.
The negative opinion of the Steelers is abundantly clear in the betting odds for their game against the Bengals, as oddsmakers see the Steelers as the underdogs, even though they’re the home team, sport a better record and beat the Bengals in Week 13. The most common line we’ve seen has the Bengals as 2.5-point favorites.
The Bengals do come into this game red hot, as they’ve won four games in a row. And the Bengals still have something to play for, as they can punch their ticket to the postseason with a win and losses by the Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins.
Pittsburgh and Cincinnati will meet on Saturday, with kickoff set for 8:00 p.m. ET. The Ravens and Browns will square off hours before that at 4:30 p.m. ET, and the Broncos and Dolphins both play on Sunday in the late slate.
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