Pittsburg, PA
Cincinnati heads to Pittsburgh in a regular-season finale that has plenty at stake
Cincinnati (8-8) at Pittsburgh (10-6)
Saturday, 8 p.m., EST, ESPN/ABC.
BetMGM NFL Odds: Bengals by 1 1/2.
Against the spread: Bengals 10-6; Steelers 10-6
Series record: Steelers lead 71-39.
Last meeting: Steelers beat Bengals 44-38 on Dec. 1, 2024 in Cincinnati.
Last week: Bengals beat Broncos 30-24 in overtime; Steelers lost to Chiefs 29-10
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase (1) celebrates with Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Jermaine Burton (81) after making a touchdown catch during the second half of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Cincinnati. Credit: AP/Jeff Dean
Bengals offense: overall (6), rush (29), pass (1), scoring (8).
Bengals defense: overall (27), rush (21), pass (24), scoring (29).
Steelers offense: overall (16), rush (10), pass (25), scoring (15).
Steelers defense: overall (11), rush (7), pass (23), scoring (7).
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson (3) runs into the end zone for a touchdown against Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Leo Chenal (54) during the first half of an NFL football game, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024, in Pittsburgh. Credit: AP/Matt Freed
Turnover differential: Bengals plus-4; Steelers plus-15.
Bengals player to watch
QB Joe Burrow is having the best year of his career. The fifth-year pro leads the NFL in completions, yards, and touchdowns and has thrown for 250 yards and three touchdowns in eight straight games, an NFL record.
Steelers player to watch
LB T.J. Watt. The perennial All-Pro has been quiet lately, failing to get a sack in three of Pittsburgh’s past four games. Watt was his usual disruptive self in the first meeting with the Bengals, dropping Burrow twice and forcing a fumble that was scooped up by teammate Payton Wilson.
Key matchup
Pittsburgh’s secondary against Bengals WRs JaMarr Chase and Tee Higgins. Chase and Higgins, one the best wide receiver duos in the league, combined for 11 receptions, 155 yards and two touchdowns in the first meeting with the Steelers. Pittsburgh’s pass defense was lit up last week by Patrick Mahomes, who threw for 320 yards. Several Steelers veterans — namely safety DeShon Elliott — complained afterward about communication issues that shouldn’t be happening in late December. With Cincinnati’s offense rolling, expect Burrow to test the Steelers down the field repeatedly.
Key injuries
Bengals: DE Sam Hubbard (knee) is out. WR Tee Higgins (ankle/knee), WR Charlie Jones (groin), OT Amarius Mims (ankle/hand), TE Drew Sample (groin) and CB Cam Taylor-Britt (ankle) are questionable.
Steelers: CB Joey Porter (knee) is expected to play after sitting out the loss to the Chiefs. CB Donte Jackson (back) is questionable.
Series notes
Pittsburgh has won four of the past five meetings, including the 44-38 thriller in Cincinnati on Dec. 1 in which Russell Wilson threw for 414 yards. … The Steelers are 36-18 at home against Cincinnati, though the Bengals have won in two of their past three visits to Acrisure Stadium. This is the first regular-season meeting between the two clubs in January. They’ve met twice in January in the playoffs, with the Steelers winning both times (2005 and 2015). … Pittsburgh’s 71 wins over the Bengals are its second most against any opponent (Cleveland, 82).
Stats and stuff
The Bengals have won four straight since they were 4-8 in their first meeting with the Steelers Dec. 1. … Cincinnati can clinch the last AFC wild-card spot with a win over Pittsburgh coupled with losses by Denver and Miami on Sunday. … The Steelers locked up a playoff berth weeks ago, but have dropped three straight to lose their grip on the AFC North. Pittsburgh would need a victory over the Bengals and a loss by Baltimore earlier Saturday to Cleveland to clinch its first division title since 2020. … Otherwise, the Steelers would lock up the fifth seed in the AFC with a victory or a loss by the Los Angeles Chargers to the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. … If neither of those things happens, Pittsburgh would drop to the sixth seed, forcing it to travel to Baltimore in the opening round. … Seven of the Bengals’ eight losses have been by one score. … In the win over Denver last week, Burrow was 39 for 49 for 412 yards and three TDs, along with a rushing score. … Chase, who had nine catches for 102 yards against Denver, has had career highs this season in receptions (a team record 117), receiving yards (a team record 1,612; team record) and 16 TDs, one shy of the team record. … Chase also leads the NFL in each of those categories, and has a chance to become the fifth player since the 1970 NFL/AFL merger to complete the receiving triple crown. … A win against Pittsburgh would complete the Bengals’ fourth consecutive regular season with a record better than .500. … Cincinnati CB Mike Hilton played for the Steelers from 2017-20. … Burrow has 26 career games with 300 or more passing yards, the second most in team history behind Andy Dalton’s 28. … With 14 sacks, Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson is tied with the Browns’ Myles Garrett for the NFL lead. … Cincinnati has scored 453 points this season, seven shy of a team-record 460 in the 2021 season. … The Bengals have scored 56 total TDs, three shy of a team record 59 set by the 1988 team that reached the Super Bowl behind QB Boomer Esiason and RB Ickey Woods. … The Steelers are 38-30 on Saturday, including a 26-8 mark at home. … Pittsburgh’s defense took a significant step back in December and is giving up more than 400 yards a game during its three-game skid. … Steelers RB Najee Harris reached the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the fourth straight season last week against Kansas City, but it’s backfield mate Jaylen Warren that seems to be surging late in the season. Warren has 33 touches for 202 yards over the past two games, compared to 24 touches for 123 yards for Harris. … Russell Wilson has fumbled in three straight games and has turned it over three times in the past two weeks. Wilson had three turnovers in his first seven starts with the Steelers. … Pittsburgh WR George Pickens’ 16 receptions of at least 25 yards rank third in the NFL this season behind Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson (17) and Chase (16). Pickens had three receptions for 50 yards last week against Kansas City after missing three games with a hamstring injury. … Watt has 11 1/2 sacks heading into Week 18. His lowest total in a non-injury interrupted season is 7, set during his rookie year in 2017. Watt’s dip in sack production mirrors that of his team. Pittsburgh has just 36 sacks this season, on pace for its lowest total since 2014 (32). … Steelers K Chris Boswell’s 40 field goals are tied for the second most in a season in league history, trailing only the 44 David Akers made in 2011 while kicking for San Francisco.
Fantasy tip
Considering the current state of Pittsburgh’s defense, the roll he’s been on and the stakes for the Bengals, starting Burrow is a no-brainer. Still need convincing? He’s averaging 334 yards passing in his past three starts against the Steelers.
Pittsburg, PA
Steelers insider just poured gasoline on the Aaron Rodgers fire following latest report of what he was doing in Pittsburgh
Aaron Rodgers was supposed to be in Pittsburgh over the weekend, with the thought that a deal would get done. One Steelers insider backs the report, but adds details that only compound a messy situation.
Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
At this point, the events of the past two seasons between Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers could probably be a book or movie. Everything from walks on the beach, to him throwing with DK Metcalf before signing, to someone capturing him driving a rental car into Pittsburgh has made waves.
This offseason was supposed to be different, and a decision from Rodgers was supposed to come much earlier. However, the Steelers remain in a holding pattern, and one that many believed would end over the weekend, after it was reported that Rodgers would be in town to sign a contract. Well, that seems to be true, but like much of this saga over the past two years, there seems to be a holdup.
Aaron Rodgers 2025 stats
- 3.4 TD to INT ratio.
- 3,322 passing yards.
- 65.7% completion percentage.
Aaron Rodgers visited Pittsburgh, but not the Steelers over the weekend
“Aaron Rodgers has been in town for a couple days, but the Steelers have not met with him yet and instead have been talking with his agent. Rodgers has stayed away from the team’s South Side facility while the three-day rookie minicamp has been going on.” – Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The news from Dulac comes on the heels of the report from 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh that Rodgers would be visiting the Steelers over the weekend, with the intention to sign his deal.
That report was backed up nationally by NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, but some in Steelers media (Mark Kaboly) said that if Rodgers was going to be in town, that was news to the team.
Omar Khan said as much during a radio hit after the reports surfaced, saying that he didn’t know where Rodgers was, but that talks remained fluid. Of course, general managers, including Omar Khan, have been known to bend the truth, which seems to lie somewhere in the middle here.
The bottom line with Aaron Rodgers
It’s obvious to me that the Steelers and Rodgers are held up over money. I know that it was said to not be the case, but you don’t intentionally avoid meeting with a team and have your agent talk to them, just days after they use a tender that determines your 2026 salary, if you’re just going to sign.
I would be surprised if Rodgers doesn’t sign at this point, but it doesn’t change the monetary situation that needs to be worked out here.
Kennywood honored two longtime employees Saturday who together have worked at the park for a combined 100 years.
Larry Russ and Bobby Trygar started working at Kennywood in 1976.
Russ began his Kennywood career as a games employee, working at the Big Apple dart game. In 1980, Russ applied to the security team and has held positions there ever since, including roles as a corporal, lieutenant, chief, and captain, according to a press release provided by the park.
Trygar began his time at Kennywood by working in the Parkside Café. Since he joined Kennywood, he has helped to maintain some of the park’s most iconic attractions, including the Racer, Log Jammer, and Merry Go Round.
“This is something you dream about. It’s so amazing,” Trygar said. “One of the best things when I worked out here was when I met my wife on the Racer. I was the mechanic. It’s just a great feeling to come here every day, see smiles on people’s faces, it’s tremendous. It gives you that extra boost and happiness.”
“I was planning on going into the mill, like everyone else was during my era,” Russ said. “Of course, the mill shut down. My father told me, ‘You don’t want to [work at the mill]. This place isn’t going to be here that much longer,’ and he was right, so I stuck it out here. I got a full-time position in 1980, and the rest is history.”
The park also dedicated two benches in their honor.
The new policy requiring anyone under 18 to be accompanied by someone over 21 in Market Square may not be as firm as some first thought.
KDKA observed unaccompanied kids in and around the square in Pittsburgh on Saturday evening, but in very small numbers, especially compared to the hundreds of kids who gathered as recently as during the NFL draft last month. Many of the kids were walking through the square or to restaurants like Chipotle.
It was the kids who lingered on Saturday evening who were approached by either youth outreach teams, private security or officers.
Von Madden — the founder of AIM, a youth outreach group — said it’s when kids start gathering in large numbers that they’ll be asked to leave.
“I don’t think they are going to be kicked out of the space for buying food or walking by,” Madden said. “The policy was so they’re allowed to hang out, but if they’re causing disruption, they were asked to move.”
Outreach workers within the square on Saturday evening said they’ve been approaching kids to make sure they are aware of the rules, but aren’t forcing them to leave. Some workers suggested alternative places they could go, as they work to form relationships with the kids
Madden, who was not at the square on Saturday, said in theory, enforcement works by private security engaging kids first, and then if that doesn’t work, outreach staff comes over. Only as a last resort are police officers brought in.
KDKA watched as a group of about 15 to 20 kids formed along Market Street steps away from a police SUV on Saturday evening. A member of the private security approached the kids first, pointing toward the exit of the square. Once more kids gathered, a group of five to 10 officers walked over, and the group dispersed toward Liberty Avenue.
A group of teenagers near Chipotle told KDKA that officers told them they had to leave if they weren’t actually going to the restaurant. Madden said the policy, which is in effect from Thursday to Sunday from 3 p.m to midnight, has worked well this week.
“It was phenomenal. Thursday was great,” Madden said. “The kids came, a lot of kids. They were absolutely excited about everything going on.”
Thursday was the first night for the temporary roller rink in Market Square, and a rainy Friday kept many people away. People enjoying their Saturday evening in the square gave mixed reviews about the policy.
“I think it’s definitely necessary,” Cristina from Butler told KDKA. “It keeps the community safe, and it allows adults and parents to know that their kids are safe as well, and just a more controlled environment.”
Danielle Graham from Robinson said she’d been observing kids interacting with police and believes kids aren’t welcome in Market Square, even if they are not being disruptive. She said there was a discrepancy in what private security and officers knew about the rule, adding that police asked her if the child she was chaperoning was her legal guardian.
She said she offered to chaperone kids to allow them to enjoy the square and so she could observe what was going on.
“There’s no clear understanding from the people that are supposedly enforcing it,” Robinson said. “You just put more vulnerable kids in front of law enforcement, things can go wrong.”
Pittsburgh City Councilwoman Barb Warwick shared her own criticism of the policy during a meeting last week.
“Not only does this feel highly unwelcoming to families with teens, it also seems questionable in terms even of enforcement,” Warwick said. “I don’t know that there’ll be like a private security, what are we checking IDs like, you know? How is this working? My understanding is it’s on an event permit.”
KDKA-TV did not observe any IDs being checked on Saturday and saw at most 12 officers in the square at once, along with the private security.
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