The Cincinnati Bengals delivered the final blow to the Pittsburgh Steelers Saturday night — the team’s fourth consecutive defeat and end to its regular season.
With losses to the Philadelphia Eagles, Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs and now the Bengals, the Steelers blew a chance to clinch the AFC North Division and earn a home playoff game.
Depending on the result of the Los Angeles Chargers vs. the Las Vegas Raiders game on Sunday afternoon, the Steelers (10-7) will either be the No. 5 seed and play at the Houston Texans or the No. 6 seed and play at Baltimore in the wild-card round.
“It’s do-or-die now,” Steelers outside linebacker Alex Highsmith said after Saturday’s loss. “Of course we didn’t end the season the way we wanted to but we have to flush it, move on and get ready for whoever we play. We’ll see how it pans out. We have to put our head down, work and get ready.”
The Bengals (9-8) now have an outside chance of making the playoffs, however, they need both Denver and Miami to lose on Sunday.
If not, this would be the second year in a row Cincinnati wouldn’t reach the postseason despite logging a winning record, WLWT5’s Fletcher Keel reported.
After Saturday night’s games went final, NFL.com gave the Bengals an 11% chance to make the playoffs. Denver sits at a 79% chance, while Miami has a 10% chance, according to WLWT5.
There’s some chatter in Cincinnati, though, surrounding quarterback Joe Burrow’s apparent head injury that occurred in Pittsburgh during the third quarter of the matchup.
He landed on the football and got a facemask full of turf as he was sacked by the Steelers’ Cam Heyward and Nick Herbig, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported. Burrow walked off the field after staying down for several seconds and visited the medical tent for evaluation — reportedly for a concussion, the outlet said.
The independent neurological consultant (red hat) left the medical tent, meaning Burrow was examined for a possible head injury, according to The Enquirer’s Kelsey Conway.
Burrow then returned to the game when the Bengals got the ball back.
“It didn’t feel great but nothing crazy,” Burrow told ESPN’s Lisa Salters on the field after the game. “We’re all good.”
Social media users on X shared their thoughts on the wintry game in Pittsburgh.
kinda crazy how the bengals front office just watches joe burrow die on the field every week and does absolutely nothing to improve the line
— alli (@sosickofdreamng) January 5, 2025
????TRENDING: #BENGALS FANS ARE EXTREMELY ANGRY WITH THE REFS FOR NOT CALLING A FLAG ON THE #STEELERS FOR DRIVING JOE BURROW INTO THE GROUND AND SLAMMING HIS HEAD.
????????????
Every other star quarterback in the league, a penalty flag would be thrown.
pic.twitter.com/HHbMkfhn9m— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) January 5, 2025
Leave it up to Russel Wilson to be the only QB in the NFL to make the Cincinnati Bengals defense look elite
— Tobey Prime (@tobey_prime) January 5, 2025
Steelers are playing like a team that just wants the season to end.
— Josh Yohe (@JoshYohe_PGH) January 5, 2025
Steelers have 7 points of offense through 3 quarters against one of the worst defenses in football. After 10 days to prepare.
If there’s not a very serious shift in roster build/coaching this offseason, the Steelers can’t be taken seriously and there shouldn’t be a job safe.
— Kevin Adams (@KevinAdams26) January 5, 2025
The people who keep saying the Steelers need to find their next franchise QB and he’s not on the roster are right, but they aren’t going to be in a draft position to get that guy without giving up tons to trade up and they also aren’t going to throw tons of money at any of the…
— Mike J. Asti (@MikeAsti11) January 5, 2025
