Steelers vs. Bengals 2016 preview, NFL playoffs: Familiar foes meet during the Wild Card round

The Cincinnati Bengals will have home-field advantage when they face the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs. This will be the third time these AFC North division rivals will kick off against each other this season, after splitting their first two meetings.

The Steelers were able to clinch a playoff spot with a win against Cleveland in Week 17, coupled with the Jets losing to the Bills. The win wasn't without a setback, however. Running back DeAngelo Williams sustained a high ankle sprain Sunday that could leave a big hole in the team's offense. Williams was the Steelers' second back to go down this season, after Le'Veon Bell suffered a torn MCL in his right knee.

With Williams out, Fitzgerald Toussaint and Jordan Todman will likely bear the majority of carries against the Bengals. Pittsburgh still boasts an impressive passing threat in wideout Antonio Brown, who has been one of Ben Roethlisberger's favorite targets this season with 136 connections between the two.

The Bengals offense showed similar passing success with Andy Dalton early in the season. Dalton was sidelined in the team's November meeting with the Steelers, leaving him with a fractured thumb on his throwing hand. Despite returning to practice earlier in the week, he still needs more rehab before he can be put back in the starting role.

Cincinnati has since been relying on AJ McCarron to get them to the postseason, which has put a little more pressure on the run game to step up. The team's No. 1 and 2 backs are Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard, who have both been decent, but failed to stand out in 2015. The most complete rushing performance of the season was in Week 17 when they combined for 132 yards on 22 carries.

The Steelers haven't won a playoff game since 2010 and the Bengals notoriously lack postseason wins. Someone has to win, however, and travel to Denver to face the No. 1 seed Broncos on Sunday, Jan. 17.

This will mark the third time the Steelers and Bengals will meet this season, with each team 1-1 in the series. Cincinnati tied a franchise record with 12 wins in 2015, and won the division for the fourth time under head coach Marvin Lewis.

The Steelers had to fight for their spot in the playoffs, unlike the Bengals who knew weeks ago they'd be going to the postseason, and quarterback Roethlisberger made sure to give his team the best chance against the Browns. He completed 24 passes two weeks in a row, but the difference between a win and loss were 129 yards and three touchdowns.

Wide receiver Martavis Bryant was sick during last Sunday's game against Cleveland, and only brought in one catch for no gain. Roethlisberger said earlier in the week that the Steelers will need Bryant to "toughen up" heading into the postseason with Williams out and defenses focused on Brown. Bryant only has five starts this season, and only one game with double-digit receptions. Luckily for the wideout, his receptions have been high quality: On only 50 catches, he has amassed 765 yards and six touchdowns, in addition to one rushing score.

Running back Jeremy Hill was expected to be a workhorse for the Bengals this season, but after 17 games, he has only gained 794 yards on the ground with 11 touchdowns. He had just one game this season with more than 100 total offensive yards, compared to five games in 2014, and it came last Sunday against the Ravens. The team is looking for more consistency in the run game, which could rest on Hill's shoulders in the Wild Card.