If nothing else, we have that.
The Cincinnati Bengals walked away with a classic AFC North win against the Pittsburgh Steelers by a score of 19-17. The win keeps the Bengals alive in the playoff hunt, hoping for wins by the New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs.
Beating Pittsburgh also likely means the Steelers go one and done in the playoffs, based on how the last month of their season went. Pittsburgh will now likely travel to take on the Baltimore Ravens, the third seed in the AFC, so long as the Chargers beat the Raiders.
Baltimore appears to be hitting their stride at the right time, while Pittsburgh has done the exact opposite, losing their last four games of the regular season.
Had Pittsburgh beaten Cincinnati, they would have played the Houston Texans in the first round, which is naturally a better matchup than a division rival, especially one playing as well as Baltimore is at the moment. The Steelers may have actually been favored to win at Houston, but instead, they’ll be large underdogs at Baltimore.
Arthur Smith’s struggling offense will have to go on the road to M&T Bank Stadium, possibly in prime time, and keep up with the likes of Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry. Outside of Pat Frieiermuth, Pittsburgh got next to nothing from their skill players Saturday night while Baltimore is firing on all cylinders.
The Bengals will be watching from home tomorrow and hoping for help to get their chance to chase the Lombardi Trophy, but they at least set the hated Steelers up for an early exit.
Regardless of the record, beating Pittsburgh always feels good.
