NFL playoffs 2016, AFC wild card live stream: How to watch Steelers vs. Bengals online

AJ McCarron will likely make a playoff start against the Steelers on Saturday.

Jan 9, 2016, 9:00 PM UTC

Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

The Cincinnati Bengals will play host to a familiar foe on Saturday in the AFC North rival Pittsburgh Steelers. The two teams fought all season for control of the division and a spot in the postseason, and in the end Cincinnati ended up with the third seed, so they get the home game for Saturday's wild card playoff game.

While the Bengals obviously want as many home games as possible, it’s worth noting that they split the season series against Pittsburgh, beating them on the road in Week 8 but losing at home in Week 14.

Of course, Andy Dalton was the quarterback in Week 8, while his injuries forced him out of the second Steelers game early, and the final three games of the regular season, a stint that saw AJ McCarron go 2-2. The Bengals lost to Pittsburgh and the Denver Broncos, another team they could face in the postseason, and beat the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers, two very bad teams.

McCarron is poised to start Saturday’s playoff game against the Steelers as Dalton isn’t quite ready, however. Against the Steelers, McCarron completed 22 of 32 passes for 280 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He was sacked three times, and the Steelers easily won the game, 33-20.

There is no next time after this game though, so McCarron will have to play smart, mistake-free football and hopefully he will get more from his running game than the 56 combined yards from Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard that he got the first time he played the Steelers.