Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals face off in primetime in Week 18

Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals face off in primetime in Week 18

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – The Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals will face off in prime time Saturday night for the Week 18 game between the two teams.

The Steelers have already secured a playoff spot but still have a chance to win the AFC North Division while the Bengals continue to fight for a chance at the postseason. Kick-off on Saturday evening is scheduled for 8 p.m

Pittsburgh has lost its last three games and is looking to win again in the postseason.

Here are the different scenarios that will impact which playoff spot the Steelers get.

How can the Steelers win the AFC North division title?

The Steelers can clinch the AFC North division title and the AFC’s No. 3 seed in the postseason if they win and the Baltimore Ravens lose to the Cleveland Browns earlier Saturday.

A win coupled with a loss by Baltimore would give both teams a record of 11-6 and Pittsburgh would win the division based on tiebreakers.

If that happens, the Steelers would win a home game in the playoffs and host the Los Angeles Chargers. The The Steelers beat the Chargers 20-10 in week 3.

What happens if the Steelers win and Baltimore wins?

If Baltimore beats Cleveland and the Steelers beat the Bengals, Pittsburgh will be seeded 5th in the AFC.

In this scenario, the Steelers would travel to Houston to face the Texans in the Wild Card round.

The Steelers faced the Texans in the preseason earlier this yearbut have not competed against each other in the regular season since the start of the 2023 season.

What happens if the Steelers lose to the Bengals?

If the Steelers lose to the Bengals on Saturday night and the Chargers win against the Raiders, Pittsburgh will still make the playoffs but fall to No. 6 in the AFC.

If the Steelers fall to No. 6, Pittsburgh would have to travel back to Baltimore to face the Ravens in the Wild Card round for the third time this season.

The Steelers beat the Ravens 18-16 earlier this year in Pittsburgh and lost 34-17 on the road in Baltimore earlier this month.

How can the Bengals make the playoffs?

For Cincinnati to make the playoffs as the No. 7 seed, they must beat the Steelers on Saturday night, the Denver Broncos must lose, and the Miami Dolphins must either lose or draw.

If all three things happen, Cincinnati will be the No. 7 seed and travel to Buffalo to face the Bills in the Wild Card Round.

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