Pittsburg, PA
Keys to how the Bengals can sweep season series against the Pittsburgh Steelers
Zac Taylor on Flacco after win against Steelers
Bengals Head Coach Zac Taylor speaks at a press conference on Monday October 20, 2025.
The Cincinnati Bengals travel to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers in Week 11 looking for a sweep on the season.
Cincinnati (3-6) beat the Steelers (5-4) 33-31 on Oct. 16 at Paycor Stadium.
Quarterback Joe Flacco won in his second start for the Bengals and Ja’Marr Chase reset his own franchise record with 16 receptions on 23 targets in the game.
Cincinnati is coming off its bye while Pittsburgh is coming off a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
Here are the keys to victory for the Bengals in Week 11:
Follow the example the Chargers made
The Bengals didn’t register a sack or hit against the Steelers last month and quarterback Aaron Rodgers had plenty of time to carve up Cincinnati’s defense. Los Angeles registered five hits and three sacks on Rodgers on Nov. 9 en route to a 25-10 victory.
Cincinnati will be without defensive ends Trey Hendrickson and Shemar Stewart, which means they’ll need to get creative in finding ways to get to Rodgers.
If the Bengals can’t pressure Rodgers and disrupt his timing, it’ll mean the offense will need an even bigger Herculean effort than the past two games where Cincinnati scored 80 points against the New York Jets and Chicago Bears and still lost.
Run the ball, control the clock and utilize play action
Winning a track meet is possible for the Bengals’ offense, but it’s best to avoid being in those positions, as they saw in the losses to the Jets and Bears.
Yes, Flacco and the offense can score from anywhere on the field, but it’d be best to control the game by running the ball and not forcing the defense to go back out on the field in less than two minutes in the second half.
Chase Brown needs to have a big game and keep the Bengals ahead of the sticks at Acrisure Stadium so Flacco isn’t having to throw the ball 50 times against what’s likely to be a different defensive look from the Steelers.
Zone busters for everyone
Flacco threw for 342 yards and three touchdowns without an interception in the Bengals’ Oct. 16 win and the Steelers played man coverage for the most part.
Expect the Steelers to move more to zone looks to limit big play potential for wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Chase had 16 catches for 161 yards and a touchdown and Higgins had six catches for 96 yards and a score.
This means Flacco will need to find the soft spots in the zone coverage via a variety of route concepts and possibly get Brown more involved catching the ball out of the backfield.
One of Pittsburgh’s biggest goals before hosting the NFL Draft was to modernize Market Square. It is just one of the spaces in the downtown area that is being transformed for the massive event.
Web Editor : Sydney Ross
Posted
2026 NFL Draft Pittsburgh regional transportation plan unveiled
With the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh quickly approaching, city officials and Pittsburgh Regional Transit unveiled its regional transportion plan.
Extensive road closures will be in place around Point State Park and Acrisure Stadium from April 22-25 as the 2026 NFL Draft brings three days of excitement and football fans into the city of Pittsburgh.
During NFL Draft events, the city’s Downtown and North Shore areas will convert to a walkable “Draft Campus,” with motorized traffic limited to Pittsburgh Regional Transit vehicles, the city’s light rail system (the “T”) and other official providers.
Therefore, many streets into and around the “Draft Campus” are closed to vehicle traffic starting April 22. Traffic patterns will be adjusted to allow Pirates fans to access PNC Park for baseball games held during the road closures, according to NFLDraftPittsburgh.com.
In addition to these streets, the Interstate 279 and Interstate 579 High Occupancy Vehicle lanes into the city are closed to vehicle traffic all week; only authorized bus traffic and emergency vehicles will be permitted to use those lanes.
People planning to use the Beaver County Transit Authority bus to reach downtown Pittsburgh for the NFL Draft events can find more information about the authority’s bus service plans on the BCTA website.
Here is the list of road closures in place from April 22-25, according to NFLDraftPittsburgh.com, which has a complete guide to getting into and around the city during NFL Draft events.
- Art Rooney Avenue
- West General Robinson Street to Tony Dorsett Drive
- Scotland Avenue
- Casino Drive, from Sproat Way
- North Shore Drive, from Chuck Noll Way
- Reedsdale Street to Tony Dorsett Drive
- Chuck Noll Way
- Tony Dorsett Drive
- Sproat Way
- Allegheny Avenue from Ridge Avenue
- North Shore Drive, from Chuck Noll Way to Mazeroski Way
- Mazeroski Way
- West General Robinson Street
- Lacock Street, from Federal Street
- Federal Street, from Lacock Street
- Merchant Street
- I-279 southbound exit 1B ramp
- I-279 northbound exit 1B ramp
- Route 65 southbound ramp to Fort Duquesne
- Route 65 northbound ramp from Fort Duquesne Bridge
- T1 ramp from Reedsdale Street and Ridge Avenue
- Sixth Street Bridge, aka the Roberto Clemente Bridge
- Seventh Street Bridge, aka the Andy Warhol Bridge
- Isabella Street
- Sixth Street
- Fort Pitt on ramp, from 10th Street Bypass and Fort Duquesne Boulevard
- Commonwealth Place
- Liberty Avenue extension
- Penn Avenue, from Stanwix Street to 9th Street
- Liberty Avenue/PPG Paints Arena exit off the Fort Pitt Bridge
- Smithfield Street Bridge
Pennsylvania’s 511PA.com online transportation website will feature a special NFL webpage providing real-time traffic information in and around the city during the NFL Draft.
-
New York19 minutes agoGunman Who Killed Baby in Brooklyn Was Targeting Her Father, Police Say
-
Detroit, MI49 minutes agoHow these Detroit farmers are fighting for neighborhood food security
-
San Francisco, CA1 hour agoS.F. hospital stabbing analysis confirms Mission Local reporting on security lapses
-
Dallas, TX1 hour agoIt’s a big week for restaurant openings and closings in Dallas
-
Miami, FL1 hour agoCain, Kushner launch South Florida JV with plans for Edgewater rental tower
-
Boston, MA1 hour agoMBTA Green Line trains out from Kenmore to Boston College on B branch through April 30
-
Denver, CO1 hour agoNuggets vs. Timberwolves | 3 keys to a Denver win in Game 3
-
Seattle, WA2 hours agoThe Honorable Brandon Lee Gowton Picks for Seattle at #32 | Field Gulls