This is going to be fun, a battle of the Old Heads. The Pittsburgh Steelers are going into The Jungle tonight to take on the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday Night Football in what many are calling the “IcyHot Bowl.” We don’t often see two 40+-year-old quarterbacks facing off in the NFL. Pittsburgh looks to take a stranglehold on the AFC North with a win, while the Bengals look to snap their three-game losing streak. Let’s dive into Thursday Night Football!
Steelers’ Defensive Masterclass vs. Browns
After their Week 2 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Pittsburgh has been on a roll. Riding a three-game winning streak, led by their defense and efficient offense, they have a tight grip on the AFC North. Last week, they dismantled the Cleveland Browns at home. Despite going against Dillon Gabriel in his second career start, this defense was suffocating.
Gabriel threw the ball 52 times for 221 yards. When the volume is that high for passing attempts with barely over 200 yards amassed through the air, that’s awful for one team and great for another. The Steelers’ defense tallied six sacks and currently ranks 2nd in the NFL in total sacks (20). Over their winning streak, no team has scored more than 21 points against Pittsburgh, and the Steelers have won the turnover battle by six.
Bengals Mauled in Green Bay
With last week being Joe Flacco’s first start for the Bengals, I was interested to see how this offense would look. In the first half, it was a disaster. With the weapons they have on offense, they came away with zero points. Now they ended with 18 points, and Ja’Marr Chase appeared to return to form with 10 catches for 91 yards and a touchdown.
Let’s look at their defense. They could not fight themselves over a wet paper bag against Green Bay. Josh Jacobs went nuclear with 150 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns, and rookie wide receiver Matthew Golden had the best game of his career with 102 total yards. The Bengals defense is ranked in the bottom four in opponent points per game (30th), opponent passing yards per game (31st), rushing yards allowed per game (28th), and offensive TDs allowed (31st).
Injuries for TNF
It could not be worse for a bad Cincinnati Bengals team. They will be without their superstar pass-rusher, Trey Hendrickson. That is a massive loss for a side of the ball that has had a rough 2025 season. Other than Hendrickson, this team is healthy, besides Joe Burrow, of course.
As for the Steelers, they will be without receiver Calvin Austin III on offense and multiple defensive backs, including DeShon Elliott. Elliot’s status isn’t injury-related; it’s personal, but still a massive loss for an AFC North divisional game. That’s when the additions they made this offseason, and the recent pickup of Jabrill Peppers come into play.
X-Factors for Tonight
For Pittsburgh, can they continue to be efficient on offense? Aaron Rodgers has been excellent this season in terms of efficiency and quick ball release. During their winning streak, he has only been sacked twice. DK Metcalf has been a monster over the past two weeks, with 95 yards and 126 yards in back-to-back weeks and scoring touchdowns in four straight games. They should continue to be clicking on all cylinders.
As for the Bengals’ “others,” look for both sides of the line of scrimmage. Going against the ferocious defensive front that the Steelers have, they will have their hands full. For their defensive line, how will they generate pressure without Hendrickson? Obviously, their singular X-Factor is Ja’Marr Chase. He can single-handedly wreck this game against the Steelers. If he gets going, it’ll be interesting to see if he is able to will his team to a big divisional win.
Final Thoughts
With this game being a classic “AFC North” game, anything can happen. We all know Joe Flacco’s history against the Pittsburgh Steelers. If he has time in the pocket, this game should be closer than many expect. However, I don’t believe it will be enough. I expect the Steelers’ defensive front to wreck this game as Pittsburgh cruises to a comfortable win and puts a stranglehold on the AFC North.
As always, thank you so much for checking out my thoughts on the Pittsburgh Steelers taking on the Cincinnati Bengals tonight! Be sure to check out our other amazing content here at New Leaf News! We hope you’re enjoying your day, and we look forward to seeing you all again soon.
