Everything you need to know about this week three matchup is right here! Can the Pittsburgh Steelers rebound from an awful performance or will the Cincinnati Bengals prove to be too much? It’s all below!
What: Cincinnati Bengals 2-0 at Pittsburgh Steelers 1-1
Where: Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh, PA
When: Sunday September 27th, 2026 1pmET
Weather: 65 degrees and partly sunny. Winds to 10mph
Surface: Natural Grass
Wagering Information: Bengals -3.5 O/U 42.5
Last Week: The Bengals traveled to Houston where they defeated the Texans 20-6. The Steelers meanwhile went up to Foxborough and lost to the Patriots 20-3.
TV: CBS Ian Eagle (play-by-play), Ross Tucker (analysis), Evan Washburn (field reporter)
TV Coverage in Your Area (courtesy 506sports.com): Coverage for us in RED.
Radio: Steelers Audio Network Rob King (play-by-play), Max Starks (analysis), Missi Matthews (field reporter)
Head Official: Clay Martin. He is a retired basketball coach and high school administrator. Martin is in his ninth year as a head official and last called a Steelers’ game in October of last year. It was also a Bengals’ visit to the Steel City where there were 11 accepted penalties in the game. Divisional HOME teams are 18-31 ATS (38%) in referee Clay Martin’s career. The Bengals are 4-1 with Martin in the Zac Taylor/Joe Burrow era, including 2-0 SU & ATS in 2025 (vs Pittsburgh).
Game Status (courtesy steelers.com) PIT: No. 11 WR Michael Pittman Jr. (Foot) – Questionable, No. 13 RB Rico Dowdle (Toe) – Out
No. 24 CB Joey Porter Jr. (NIR/Conditioning) – Questionable, No. 30 RB Jaylen Warren (Shoulder) – Questionable, No. 35 CB Jamel Dean (Ankle) – Questionable, No. 73 G Gennings Dunker (Knee) – Out CIN: No. 80 WR Andrei Iosivas (Thumb) – Out, No. 92 DT B.J. Hill (Achilles) – Doubtful
Injury Notes: The Steelers are hurting especially on the offensive side of the ball. Keep an eye on who gets activated from the Practice Squad. I’ll be very surprised if JPJ plays… With slot receiver Iosivas not available, Mike Gesicki becomes even more important.
2026 NFL Ranks:
Total Offense: PIT 30th, CIN 16th
Passing Offense: PIT 29th, CIN 13th
Rushing Offense: PIT 29th, CIN 21st
Total Defense: PIT 8th, CIN 16th
Passing Defense: PIT 3rd, CIN 27th
Rushing Defense: PIT 25th, CIN 3rd
AFC North Standings:
Cincinnati 2-0
Baltimore 1-1
Pittsburgh 1-1
Cleveland 1-1
This Week in the AFC North: Carolina at Cleveland 1pmET, Baltimore vs Dallas (Brazil) 425pmET
What You Need to Know: This will be the 112th meeting between the two franchises. Only Cleveland has played the Steelers more… The Steelers are 54-18 at home in AFC North games… Joe Burrow has thrown 10 interceptions in seven career games against the Steelers… Pittsburgh is 142-59-2 all-time at Heinz Field/Acrisure Stadium. Only the Patriots have a better winning percentage in their stadium (minimum 100 games).
The McCarthy Minute: During his tenure in Dallas, Coach McCarthy was 13-7 in games following a loss… His teams have won 8 division titles in 19 year head coaching career…
Cincinnati Bengals Names to Know: QB Joe Burrow, WR Tee Higgins, WR Ja’Marr Chase, WR Andrei Iosivas, RB Chase Brown, TE Mike Gesicki, DT Dexter Lawrence, DE Cassius Howell, S Bryan Cook, CB Dax Hill, PK Evan McPherson
What’s at Stake: The Bengals have a chance to move to 3-0 and give the rival Steelers a divisional loss. The Steelers can tie the Bengals atop the AFC North with a win AND hold a tiebreaker with the head-to-head win.
All-Time Series: Steelers lead 70-41 and lead all-time in Pittsburgh 37-19
Last Meeting: November 2025 in Pittsburgh. Steelers 34 Bengals 12
Steelers Regular Season Game Highs vs CIN:
PASSING: 414 Russell Wilson 12/01/2024
RUSHING: 185 Le’Veon Bell 12/07/2014
RECEIVING: 195 George Pickens 12/23/2023
SACKS: 4.5 Chad Brown 10/13/1996
INTERCEPTIONS: 3 Mike Wagner 10/28/1973
Check out the latest SCB Steelers Podcast presented by DEK Roofing Inc for more on the Steelers.
Three Things We Need to See for a Steelers’ Victory:
–Line Changes. No, I’m not talking about hockey… The Steelers need to make changes on their offensive line and based on what we’ve seen at practice this week they seem to be coming. But there are other changes that are need with this line too that don’t involve personnel moves. The O-Line needs to find some nastiness. They need to be the aggressor whether in pass protection or the run game, it’s past time they start taking it to the defense rather than the other way around. Dexter Lawrence is literally licking his chops and if the Steelers can’t match his intensity it’s going to be another long week.
–Ordinary Joe. There’s no arguing that Joe Burrow is an excellent quarterback but even he can have poor moments. Patrick Graham has stuck with his zone defense through the first two weeks but will that continue? It may not matter if the Steelers’ front seven can force Burrow into mistakes. The Cincinnati offensive line is not good. While it would be easy to suggest T.J. Watt and company bring the heat from the outside, I tend to believe that Burrow struggles more when the pressure is up the middle at his feet. If Burrow has time to read and react then the Steelers’ D is in trouble.
–Make It Simple Mike. When you have a struggling offensive line the best thing you can do as a play-caller is make their lives easier. In a perfect world, that would mean getting your QB out of the pocket on half rolls and bootlegs but we have a 42-year old guy back there. So what can McCarthy do? For starters, get the screen game going early and I’m not talking about the wide receiver variety. Get your linemen out on the move where they can be aggressive. Get some early draw plays going too in an effort to slow those eager pass rushers down.
The ‘X’ Factor: Each week I will select a player from each team who I believe will need to play above and beyond in order for his team to win.
X-Factor Steelers: D.K. Metcalf. It’s D.K…. It’s time to start earning the money he was given. Drops happen but not at the rate he’s been dealing with. Mike McCarthy tried to get hims the ball on WR screens a couple of times last week and they went nowhere. That’s because Metcalf is a guy who is so much better when he’s already on the move. This Bengals’ defense is improved, but let’s not pretend it’s among the league’s best. Aaron Rodgers needs to take a few deep shots and look for him on slants and crossers – if he has the time of course.
X-Factor Bengals: Mike Gesicki. The Steelers traditionally struggle with tight ends but so far in 2026 they’ve been adequate. Enter Gesicki who is averaging over 15 yards per catch. With attention focused on Chase and Higgins, Gesicki will see his share of targets. If the Steelers aren’t paying attention he could have a big day which isn’t good for anyone wearing Black and Gold.
Prediction: I’ll get right to it… I have a hard time seeing the Steelers’ offense suddenly “putting it all together” after two dismal performances. While I expect things to be improved I’m not convinced it will be enough. I do think the Steelers’ defense will keep things close but in the end the Cincy firepower is too much.
Bengals 23 Steelers 18
Season Prediction Record: 2-0
