The Bengals and Steelers are set for a Sunday Night Football showdown at Paycor Stadium, and first place in the division is hanging in the balance. Both teams come in at 6-2, with Pittsburgh having edged Cincinnati in Week 3, and this rematch has plenty of heavyweight collisions baked into it.
Start up front, where Amarius Mims gets one of the toughest assignments in football: TJ Watt. Mims has been on a tear all season, allowing just five total pressures over eight regular-season games while spending more time on an island than almost any tackle in the league. He’s starting to get the recognition that comes with that kind of work, and this stage could push his All-Pro case even further.
Watt, though, is still Watt. He’s already up to 7.5 sacks through eight games, which means he has already passed his sack total from the 2025 season.
Last year, he finished with seven sacks over the full year. He’ll be trying to work through Mt.
Mims in a matchup that looks exactly like the kind of duel that can swing a primetime game.
Another battle to keep an eye on is Darnell Washington against Jordan Battle. Washington was a problem for Cincinnati in Week 3, piling up 67 yards and ripping off a big sideline rumble in the fourth quarter. There was also an earlier play in that game when Battle came in high trying to finish the tackle, and this week offers a chance for him to show he’s learned from it.
Battle has been trending in the right direction lately. His tackling has looked more reliable, he made some big plays in coverage against Tennessee a couple of weeks ago, and against Atlanta he went through his first game of the season without being charged with a missed tackle. That’s encouraging, because Washington is a huge test.
The Steelers also had success with Jaylen Warren in the first meeting. He was a load for Cincinnati to bring down, finishing with 17 carries for 117 yards and adding three catches for 49 more. If the Bengals want a different result this time, they’ll need a better answer for him.
That responsibility falls in part on Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter. Both have been solid enough this season, but neither had one of his better outings in the earlier matchup with Pittsburgh. They’ll need to be sharper at home if Warren starts rolling again.
Then there’s Chase Brown, who could be the Bengals’ best path to balance. Cincinnati is still built around the pass, but Brown has shown he can matter on the ground too. He ran 13 times for 61 yards against the Steelers in the first meeting, and if the Bengals can get more out of him this week, it would help keep Pittsburgh’s pass rush from dictating everything.
Brown has also been picking up steam over the last couple of weeks. His pass protection has stood out all season, and he’s starting to get more involved as a receiver while showing more wiggle in space as a runner. If he can get loose against Pittsburgh, Cincinnati could be walking out of Sunday Night Football at 7-2 and alone atop the AFC North.
In Other News...
Bengals May Have Found A Late-Season Edge At The Perfect Time
The Bengals trip to Madrid seems to have landed at exactly the right moment, giving a late-season team that was already rolling a little extra fuel. Players and people around the organization have pointed to the international visit as a boost for bonding and chemistry, the kind of reset that can matter when a locker room is trying to carry momentum into the stretch run. With Cincinnati on a four-game winning streak, the timing could hardly be better as the focus shifts to a key meeting with the Steelers.
There is also a broader backdrop here that makes the moment feel bigger than one road trip. The Bengals have dealt with some external noise around front-office decision-making, including criticism tied to compensatory picks, while a called-off trade involving Arnold Ebiketie added another layer to the conversation. For a team trying to sharpen its edge in December, the question now is whether the chemistry from Madrid can translate into something more tangible when the games get tighter. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Have A Huge Chance Sunday Night But One Test Looms
Sunday night gives Cincinnati a chance to change the feel of its season in one swing, and the setup is about as good as it gets for a November spotlight game. The Bengals have looked more dangerous on offense since their Week 3 meeting with Pittsburgh, with the quarterback-wide receiver trio giving them a much steadier ceiling, while the defensive line has been better equipped to affect the game at the point of attack.
Still, the matchup is not without a real stress point. The Steelers can make life uncomfortable if Cincinnatis secondary is exposed, and that is the one area that could decide whether this becomes a statement win or just another missed opportunity in a crowded playoff race. With national TV attention and postseason positioning on the line, the Bengals know this is the kind of test that can sharpen the picture of where they really stand. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Are Staring At A Steelers Mismatch They Know Too Well
The Bengals are heading into another divisional meeting with a familiar problem to sort out, and it starts with how Pittsburgh plans to use Darnell Washington. Steelers offensive coordinator Brian Angelicho recently talked up the tight ends role, pointing to the matchup edges Washington brings with his size, strength and value in both the passing game and the run game.
For Cincinnati, the concern is less about one isolated player and more about a season-long issue that has shown up against tight ends. Washington has already emerged as a key part of the Steelers passing attack, and Pittsburgh media expect him to keep having an impact in this one, which leaves the Bengals facing a test they have not handled especially well so far. [Read more 🡒]