Joe Burrow, Bengals nip Steelers to keep slim playoff hopes alive

Joe Burrow, Bengals nip Steelers to keep slim playoff hopes alive

PITTSBURGH — Joe Burrow pᴀssed for 277 yards and a touchdown, Cade York kicked four field goals and the Cincinnati Bengals kept their slim playoff hopes alive with a 19-17 win over the floundering Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday night.

Burrow also threw an interception and his NFL record streak of consecutive games with at least 250 yards pᴀssing and three touchdowns came to an end.

But he did enough to propel the Bengals (9-8) to their fifth straight win and keep them in the mix until the season’s final day.

Joe Burrow drops back to pᴀss during the Bengals’ 19-17 win over the Steelers on Jan. 4, 2025. Getty Images

Cincinnati will earn the seventh seed in the AFC if Denver loses to Kansas City and Miami either loses to or ties the Jets on Sunday.

Burrow completed 37 of 46 pᴀsses, including a 12-yard touchdown to Ja’Marr Chase on Cincinnati’s first possession that gave the Bengals a lead they never gave up.

Chase finished with 10 receptions for 96 yards to put the NFL’s “Triple Crown” for receivers (catches, yards and touchdowns) within reach.

The Bengals’ late run began after a 44-38 loss to the Steelers on Dec. 1 dropped them to 4-8. They haven’t lost since, with Burrow playing at an MVP level and their once porous defense playing its best football of the season.

Cincinnati held reeling Pittsburgh (10-7) to 193 yards — more than 300 less than the 520 the Steelers rolled up in the first meeting — and turned aside a late rally.

Trey Hendrickson sacked Russell Wilson 3¹/₂ times to boost his season total to an NFL-leading 17¹/₂ on a night the Bengals never let the playoff-bound Steelers get on track.

Trey Hendrickson makes one of his 3¹/₂ sacks on Russell Wilson during the Bengals’ win over the Steelers. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con

Wilson pᴀssed for 148 yards and a touchdown, both the score and the vast majority of the yards coming during the fourth quarter when the Steelers were desperately playing catchup.

Wilson hit Pat Freiermuth for a 19-yard touchdown pᴀss and Chris Boswell hit a 54-yard field goal to get Pittsburgh within two.

The Steelers got the ball back just after the 2-minute warning but never made it to Cincinnati territory.

Cade York makes one of his four field goals in the Bengals’ win over the Steelers. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con

Wilson threw incomplete to Freiermuth on fourth down and Burrow came out for a kneeldown that extended the Bengals’ season to the final day.

Pittsburgh is ᴀssured of playing next week despite a four-game losing streak.

The Steelers will be the fifth seed if the Los Angeles Chargers lose at Las Vegas. If the Chargers win, Pittsburgh will be the sixth seed and travel to rival Baltimore in the first round.

Related Posts

BREAKING NEWSNFL rocked as head of players’ union Lloyd Howell Jr. resigns after string of controversies

BREAKING NEWSNFL rocked as head of players’ union Lloyd Howell Jr. resigns after string of controversies

Lloyd Howell Jr. stepped down as executive director of the NFL Players ᴀssociation on Thursday night following weeks of scrutiny for multiple blunders, including a reported conflict…

Justin Herbert shocks his Chargers teammates with new hack that left him looking like a ‘vampire’

Justin Herbert shocks his Chargers teammates with new hack that left him looking like a ‘vampire’

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert is testing out tinted contact lenses as training camp opens. He wore them Thursday under sunny skies after trying them out…

Detroit Lions suffer major blow before new NFL season with Levi Onwuzurike to miss at least four games

Detroit Lions suffer major blow before new NFL season with Levi Onwuzurike to miss at least four games

The Detroit Lions placed defensive end Levi Onwuzurike on the reserve/physically unable to perform list on Thursday. The move to the PUP list means Onwuzurike will miss…

Travis Kelce and brother Jason make reluctant decision on future of New Heights podcast

Travis Kelce and brother Jason make reluctant decision on future of New Heights podcast

Travis Kelce and brother Jason have announced there will be no new episodes of their smash-hit podcast ‘New Heights’ for the foreseeable future. Jason may be retired…

Ex-NFL star Jay Cutler slammed for ‘blood-soaked’ hunting trip to Africa

Ex-NFL star Jay Cutler slammed for ‘blood-soaked’ hunting trip to Africa

Former NFL quarterback Jay Cutler has been slammed by PETA in response to his hunting trip in South Africa. The ex-Bears pᴀsser has been proudly sharing updates…

Travis Kelce leaves heartwarming Taylor Swift comment on Pat McAfee post

Travis Kelce leaves heartwarming Taylor Swift comment on Pat McAfee post

Travis Kelce left a heartwarming five-word message in response to a video of Jelly Roll praising his girlfriend, Taylor Swift.   In a video posted onto Instagram by…