The Bengals did what they needed to do to give themselves a chance to make the playoffs.
Trey Hendrickson had 3.5 sacks of Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson, including one in the final minute that led to the Steelers turning the ball over on downs with 11 seconds left. This secured a 19-17 victory for the Bengals and they will now go into observer mode on Sunday. Losses to the Broncos and Dolphins will give the Bengals a playoff spot.
It’s a scenario that seemed far-fetched when the Bengals were 4-8, but five straight wins to close out the regular season leaves them alive heading into the final day of the season. Hendrickson, who is likely to be the league’s sack leader with 17.5 this season, was one of three usual suspects to play a significant role in the latest win.
Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase connected for their 17th touchdown of the season to open the game and Chase finished the night with 10 catches for 96 yards. He is the first player in league history with 1,700 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns in the same season and he won the receiving triple crown by also leading the league in catches.
Burrow was checked for a concussion at one point, but didn’t miss a beat and went 37 of 46 for 277 yards to lead an offense that was missing running back Chase Brown and saw wide receiver Tee Higgins leaving with an ankle injury. It ended a stellar season for Burrow, but Sunday’s results will show if it’s enough for them to have a chance at returning to the Super Bowl.
The Steelers know they will have this chance, but they will have to wait for the Chargers’ result to know their seed. If the Chargers beat the Raiders, the Steelers will travel to Baltimore as the No. 6 seed. If the Chargers lose, they will go to Houston as the No. 5 seed.
Playing the Texans seems like a better bet moving forward, but the Steelers offense doesn’t seem like a sure bet by any means. They had two touchdowns that accounted for 12 of their first 16 attempts and were unable to capitalize on a golden opportunity to take a lead in the fourth quarter. A Corliss Waitman punt bounced off the foot of Bengals defensive back DJ Ivey and the Steelers recovered at the Bengals 38-yard line.
However, one of Hendrickson’s sacks helped force a Chris Boswell field goal that cut Cincinnati’s lead to two, and the Steelers would never get the touchdown they needed. They only managed 193 yards for the game and they will look to end a four-game losing streak when they take the field next weekend. It would help if wide receiver George Pickens could hold on to the ball after dropping three passes Saturday, but there were enough other issues to make the long wait for the Steelers’ offense to catch fire seem like it might not be happening. finish before 2025. season.
