Cincinnati head coach Zac Taylor protests after an incomplete pass attempt to wide receiver Tee Higgins during overtime of last week’s win against Minnesota.
Jay LaPrete | AP
PITTSBURGH — So much for the Cincinnati Bengals’ season being over the second Joe Burrow tore a ligament in his right wrist last month.
Not with backup quarterback Jake Browning improving by the week. Not with defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo’s defense creating game-shifting takeaways with remarkable frequency. Not with Zac Taylor’s team heeding his advice about getting better as the season progresses, no matter who is in the lineup.
“We’ve talked a lot about how we have to be our strongest in December and January,” Taylor said. “Reflecting back over the last couple of years, everything we do — offseason, training camp, regular season — is geared toward being at our best now. These last three weeks, we’ve been pretty dang good.”
The Bengals (8-6), winners of three straight, head to Pittsburgh (7-7) on Sunday with a chance to strengthen their playoff position while simultaneously all but ending the Steelers’ postseason hopes.
Of course, nothing Browning and the Bengals have done lately will matter when they walk into Acrisure Stadium.
“I guarantee you that the Pittsburgh Steelers do not care that we played well the last couple games,” he said.
Maybe because the Steelers, losers of three straight, have far bigger problems.
The offense is a mess even after offensive coordinator Matt Canada’s firing. Quarterback Kenny Pickett will miss his third straight game while recovering from right ankle surgery. The defense is without its top three safeties due to injury or suspension.
Oh, and wide receiver George Pickens chose to blame criticism for his occasional lack of effort on certain plays — a run by teammate Jaylen Warren in last week’s loss to Indianapolis in particular — on “media guys” who have never played the game.
Longtime Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin won’t bench Pickens, not with the Steelers’ season hanging in the balance, but also believes recent weeks have provided a lesson to Pickens and the rest of his struggling team.
“When you’re not doing your job and losing, you better keep your damn mouth shut and understand that that attracts a certain type of attention as well,” Tomlin said. “And usually, that’s vulture-like attention.”
If the Steelers don’t find a way to gather themselves soon — very soon — the vultures only figure to multiply.
‘Tis the season for Rudolph
Longtime Steelers backup quarterback Mason Rudolph will make his first start in more than two years while filling in for Pickett after Tomlin opted to bench Mitch Trubisky, who failed to impress in losses to the Cardinals, Colts and Patriots.
The 28-year-old Rudolph is one of the longest-tenured players on the team but has spent the last two seasons as a third-stringer. His teammates appreciate his professionalism, though Rudolph downplayed the idea he’s some sort of inspirational figure.
“It’s only going to be inspirational if we win, right?” Rudolph said.
No Chase
The Bengals will be without Ja’Marr Chase after the team’s leading receiver left last week’s game with a sprained AC joint in his shoulder.
His absence puts more pressure on Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd, both of whom made critical catches down the stretch in last week’s win over Minnesota.
“We’ve played plenty of games without Ja’Marr,” offensive coordinator Brian Callahan said. “We played plenty of games without Tee. We’ve got plenty of other guys that have to fill in, and that’s just the nature of the whole league right now. I think you look around, there’s a lot of teams that are dealing with the same stuff, and guys got to keep stepping up and raising their level of play and keep trying to find ways to win.”
Joe’s listening
Burrow hasn’t disappeared since he suffered the season-ending injury against the Ravens on Nov. 16.
During last week’s win over Minnesota, the franchise quarterback wore a headset on the sideline and offered input on play calls to Taylor and the coaching staff when he felt it was appropriate.
“Burrow was on the headset talking,” Taylor said. “I was texting with him (that) night and he said, ‘I just never know how much to say,’ and I said, ‘I’ll tell you when to shut up, trust me.’
“So I am not scared to tell people to shut up on the headset, but again, just guys like that are invaluable to be on the sidelines,” he said. “They see it from a different lens than we do. So his perspective’s invaluable.”
CINCINNATI (8-6) at PITTSBURGH (7-7)
Saturday, 4:30 p.m. EST, NBC.
OPENING LINE: Bengals by 2 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Bengals 6-7-1; Steelers 7-7.
SERIES RECORD: Steelers lead 69-39
LAST MEETING: Steelers beat Bengals 16-10 on Nov. 26 in Cincinnati.
LAST WEEK: Bengals beat Vikings 27-24 (OT), Steelers lost to Colts 30-13.
BENGALS OFFENSE: OVERALL (21), RUSH (31), PASS (13), SCORING (14).
BENGALS DEFENSE: OVERALL (30), RUSH (28), PASS (27), SCORING (20).
STEELERS OFFENSE: OVERALL (27), RUSH (16), PASS (28), SCORING (28).
STEELERS DEFENSE: OVERALL (20), RUSH (22), PASS (20), SCORING (9).
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Bengals plus-11; Steelers plus-10.
BENGALS PLAYER TO WATCH: WR Tee Higgins had some clutch catches last week, including an amazing 21-yard TD reception in the final minute of regulation that saw him bending backward to break the plane of the goal line as a defender wrestled him out of bounds. He could be even more important since WR Ja’Marr Chase is out.
STEELERS PLAYER TO WATCH: WR George Pickens. The second-year wideout’s career — or at least his stay in Pittsburgh — feels as if it’s at a tipping point. Pickens has come under criticism for his occasional lack of effort of late, in particular for declining to block downfield for running back Jaylen Warren. Coach Mike Tomlin has called the 22-year-old’s growth both as a player and a young adult a “work in progress” while encouraging Pickens to stay quiet and let his play on the field do the talking.
KEY MATCHUP: Pittsburgh’s secondary against Cincinnati’s passing game. The Steelers are beat up on the back end, with safeties Minkah Fitzpatrick (knee), Keanu Neal (ribs) and Damontae Kazee (suspension) unavailable and newcomer Trenton Thompson (neck) possibly out too. Bengals QB Jake Browning’s confidence seems to be growing by the week and he is likely to test the middle of the field.
KEY INJURIES: Chase left in the fourth quarter of last Saturday’s game with a sprained shoulder and will miss the game. … RB Chase Brown (sternum), G Alex Cappa and DE Cam Sample (knee) are limited with injuries. … Steelers QB Kenny Pickett (right ankle) will miss his third straight game. Mason Rudolph will get the nod with Pickett out. … S Elijah Riley (ankle) could return after missing a handful of games.
SERIES NOTES: Pittsburgh beat Cincinnati for just the second time in six tries the Sunday after Thanksgiving, its most recent win before its current three-game slide. The Steelers are 35-18 in Pittsburgh against the Bengals, including a 10-6 mark during games in December.
STATS AND STUFF: QB Jake Browning won his third straight start in place of the injured Joe Burrow last week to keep the Bengals in the playoff hunt. His first start resulted in a 16-10 loss to Pittsburgh Nov. 26. … He’s averaged 318 passing yards per game in the three wins. … Cincinnati’s defense stuffed Minnesota on fourth-and-inches in overtime to get the ball back and set up the game-winning field goal, a 29-yarder by Evan McPherson. … The comeback marked the fifth time in team history — and the first since 2018 — that the Bengals won a game when trailing by 14 or more points in the final quarter. … Browning’s 76% completion rate since Week 12 is the second highest by any NFL QB in his first four starts since 1950. … Browning completed passes to 11 different receivers last week. … Cincinnati lost DT DJ Reader and CB DJ Ivey to season-ending injuries last week. … DE Trey Hendrickson has a career-high 15 sacks, the second most in a single season in team history. That puts him a half-sack behind Khalil Mack and one behind T.J. Watt of the Steelers. … McPherson has converted 75% his career field-goal attempts from 50 or more yards (21 of 28), the best mark in team history. … The Steelers are turning to Mason Rudolph at QB with Kenny Pickett still recovering from right ankle surgery and backup Mitch Trubisky ineffective in two starts. Rudolph is 5-4-1 as a starter, but hasn’t played extensively since a 16-all tie with Detroit in 2021. … Pittsburgh’s offense has sputtered no matter who is under center. The Steelers have scored fewer than 20 points in five straight games, the franchise’s longest streak since 1969. … Watt’s 16 sacks lead the league. He had two against Browning in the teams’ first meeting on Nov. 26. … Pittsburgh’s running game has slowed in recent weeks. The Steelers are averaging 78 yards on the ground over the past two weeks after averaging 165.2 yards over their previous five games. … The Steelers need to win all three of their final games to have a legitimate shot at the postseason and two of three if Tomlin wants to avoid the first losing season of his 17-year career. … Pittsburgh has blocked two punts this season. The Steelers have also a blocked field-goal attempt.
FANTASY TIP: Bengals RB Joe Mixon. With the Steelers banged up at inside linebacker and safety, keeping Mixon under wraps — particularly in the passing game — may be difficult. Mixon was limited to just 16 yards rushing on eight carries in the previous meeting, but he did catch two passes for 44 yards and has topped 40 yards receiving in three of Browning’s four starts. Expect Cincinnati coach Zac Taylor to scheme up chances to get Mixon open in space.
