Playoff implications are on the line when the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers renew their AFC North rivalry at Paul Brown Stadium Sunday. The Bengals are going for the season sweep of Pittsburgh, a feat they haven’t accomplished since the 2009 season.
Steelers vs. Bengals 2015 live stream: Start time, TV schedule and how to watch online
Buckle up, this game should be a thriller.
Cincinnati is enjoying a special season, sitting at 10-2 and in the top seed in the AFC playoffs. With a win on Sunday, the Bengals clinch the division title and make the postseason for the fifth year in a row.
The Bengals are back in form after a two-game losing streak, dominating the St. Louis Rams and Cleveland Browns by a combined score of 68-10. Andy Dalton’s career year continued, throwing for five touchdowns and just one interception during that stretch. He’s now up to 3,191 yards, 25 touchdowns and just six picks on the season. If Cam Newton, Tom Brady and Carson Palmer are considered the MVP front-runners, then Dalton could well be right behind those three.
Another red-hot Bengals player is A.J. Green, who shook off a midseason lull to catch three touchdown passes in the past two games. Cincinnati’s offense will get another boost this week with Tyler Eifert (the league leader in touchdowns) set to return after sitting out Week 13 with a stinger. With a bevy of weapons on offense and a defense that’s allowing the fewest points in the league, the Bengals look well-equipped to get their first playoff win in the Marvin Lewis era.
When these teams last met in Week 8, Ben Roethlisberger was making his first start after missing four games with a knee injury. He was clearly less than 100 percent, throwing three interceptions in a 16-10 loss. Roethlisberger has been banged up for most of the year, but has yet to miss a game since the early-season injury.
Pittsburgh is 7-5 and the offense is firing on all cylinders, coming off a 45-10 dismantling of the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday Night Football. They’ll be one of those teams that nobody wants to play in January, but getting to the playoffs could be easier said than done.
The Steelers are currently on the outside of the playoff picture and facing their toughest stretch of the season. After a road loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 12, followed by last week’s beatdown of the Colts, the Steelers travel to Cincinnati this week and have a home game with the Denver Broncos in Week 15. They need to at least split the next two games to stay in the wild card hunt, or else hope for letdowns from the teams in front of them (Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets).
It’s an uphill climb, but one that the Steelers should make as long as Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant and DeAngelo Williams continue playing at a high level. The offense is plenty explosive enough to make up for a defense that’s 29th in passing yards allowed per game.
This game has shootout potential, and with so much at stake -- including rivalry bragging rights -- it has the potential to be one of the best NFL games of the entire season.
How to watch
When: 1 p.m. ET
Where: Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
TV: CBS
Announcers: Greg Gumbel, Trent Green, Jamie Erdahl
Online: NFL Game Pass
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