The Bengals once again kept their slim playoff hopes alive, defeating Pittsburgh 19-17 on the road.
Cade York delivered after a rough game last week, connecting on all four field goals and converting his lone extra-point attempt.
Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase kept their connection strong again this week. Burrow completed 37/46 pass attempts for 277 yards and a touchdown. Burrow also threw an interception.
Chase hauled in 10 catches for 96 yards and the lone Bengals touchdown. Mike Gesicki also finished off his season strong catching eight passes for 68 yards. Gesicki earned himself a $125 thousand bonus for hitting 600 yards on the season.
Mike Gesicki passed 600 receiving yards on the season, triggering a $125k incentive.
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 5, 2025
He got it on the second play of the game 🤑 pic.twitter.com/4ANcp4aPHY
Rushing-wise, the absence of Chase Brown was felt as Khalil Herbert was not able to get anything going. He rushed the ball 20 times for 68 yards and was the only player to rush for positive yards in Cincinnati.
For the Steelers, they gave themselves a chance at a game-winning drive but were unable to produce anything on it. They ended up turning the ball over on downs after failing to convert a long fourth down.
Russell Wilson finished his regular season completing 17/31 passes for 148 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed the ball four times for 16 yards.
Pat Freiermuth did the majority of the work for the Steelers receiving game, catching eight passes for 85 yards and a touchdown. Najee Harris caught four passes for 20 yards, and Mike Williams one catch for 25 yards. George Pickens had a poor night, catching one pass for zero yards and recording three drops.
Harris finished up his season with 12 carries for 36 yards and a touchdown. For his fourth straight season, Harris will finish as a 1,000-yard rusher, meaning he has reached that goal every season he has been in the league.
For the Steelers, they are currently on a four-game skid but do not have to worry about scoreboard-watching for the playoffs. They hold a playoff spot at 10-7 and will either travel to Houston to take on the Texans or travel to Baltimore to play the Ravens, depending on what the Chargers do against the Raiders on Sunday.
The Bengals, however, are sitting at 9-8. It is a miracle that their season still has life after their awful start to the year. They began 1-4 with losses that they look back on and think about, such as the Patriots, Chiefs, and Commanders, all games which they played more than well enough to win.
By handing the Steelers their fourth straight loss, the Bengals still are alive. They now need a Broncos and Dolphins loss Sunday to make the playoffs.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 5, 2025
Despite them not being eliminated yet, they still need the Dolphins to lose to a poor Jets team, and the Broncos to lose at home to the Kansas City Chiefs backups. That is a lot to ask for, but given everything that has happened to keep them alive, they are not out of hope yet.
Even with their disappointing record, they have produced at the highest level. Burrow will likely finish the season first in passing yards with 4,918 and first in passing touchdowns with 43. He also had a very good completion percentage, sitting at 70.5%.
Chase will also likely finish the season on top of the receiving charts. He is on pace to win the triple crown as well, finishing his year with 127 catches for 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Last, they will also finish with the sack leader, Trey Hendrickson, unless someone has the game of their life this weekend. Hendrickson recorded 3.5 sacks on Saturday night, to finish his season with 17.5 total. Despite all this, the Bengals are on the outside looking in at the end of the year.
