Week 10 of the National Football League season is upon us and we have yet another game that will settle who leads the AFC North and who doesn’t. Here’s everything you need to know as the Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Bengals in Cincinnati.
What: Pittsburgh Steelers 6-2 at Cincinnati Bengals 6-2
Where: Paycor Stadium Cincinnati, OH
When: 820pmET November 15th, 2026
Weather: Mostly cloudy and 42 degrees at kickoff. Light winds.
Surface: Field turf
Wagering Information: Bengals -3.5 O/U 47.5
Last Week: The Steelers enjoyed their BYE week while the Bengals traveled to Madrid, Spain and beat the Falcons 34-17.
TV: NBC Mike Tirico (play-by-play), Cris Collinsworth (analysis), Melissa Stark (field reporter)
TV Coverage in Your Area (courtesy 506sports.com): National TV Audience
Radio: Steelers Audio Network Rob King (play-by-play), Max Starks (analysis), Missi Matthews (field reporter)
Westwood One Radio: Ryan Radtke (play-by-play), Mike Golic (analysis)
Head Official: Clete Blakeman. Blake is an attorney and graduate of the University of Nebraska and is in his 17th season as a head official. His crew last officiated a Steelers game earlier this year when the Steelers lost to the Browns in Cleveland. Pittsburgh was flagged 14 times in that game. In their last 16 games with Blakeman running the show the Steelers are 5-11.
Game Status (courtesy steelers.com) PIT: *No. 99 DT Derrick Harmon (Foot) – Questionable CIN: No. 29 S Kyle Dugger (Quadricep) – Out, *No. 35 CB Jalen Davis (Hamstring) – Doubtful, *No. 62 G Brian Parker II (Knee) – Doubtful, *No. 80 WR Andrei Iosivas (Thumb) – Doubtful
* Injured Reserve – Designated For Return
Injury Notes: The Steelers come into Week 10 incredibly healthy with only Harmon a gameday decision. Former Steeler Kyle Dugger won’t get a shot at his former team.
2026 NFL Ranks:
Total Offense: PIT 16th, CIN 7th
Passing Offense: PIT 19th, CIN 1st
Rushing Offense: PIT 12th, CIN 30th
Total Defense: PIT 7th, CIN 25th
Passing Defense: PIT 16th, CIN 21st
Rushing Defense: PIT 3rd, CIN 25th
AFC North Standings:
Pittsburgh 6-2
Cincinnati 6-2
Cleveland 5-4
Baltimore 4-5
This Week in the AFC North: Houston at Cleveland 1pmET, LA Chargers at Baltimore (MNF) 815pmET
What You Need to Know: The Steelers are 71-42-4 overall when facing a starting QB who was drafted No. 1 overall… This will be the Steelers’ 103rd primetime game since 1970 which is second overall (Dallas 116)… Since the bye week returned to the NFL in 1990, the Steelers have played in 37 contests following a bye week and hold a 25-12 record… The Steelers are 46-29-1 in AFC North road games all-time… The Steelers are 0-5 in their last five primetime games.
McCarthy Minute: Coach is 34-27 all-time versus number one overall pick QBs… He has a 45-39 record in regular-season primetime games… Coach is 12-6 all-time following a BYE week… He’s 21-19 all-time on Sunday Night Football.
Cincinnati Bengals Names to Know: QB Joe Burrow, WR Ja’Marr Chase, WR Tee Higgins, RB Chase Brown, TE Mike Gesicki, OT Amarius Mims, DL Dexter Lawrence II, CB Dax Hill, LB Jack Kiser, K Evan McPherson
What’s at Stake: First place. Again. For the second straight game the Steelers take on a divisional foe with first place in the AFC North on the line. The Steelers have a slight advantage as they won the first contest in Pittsburgh.
All-Time Series: Steelers lead 71-47 and lead all-time in Cincinnati 33-22
Last Meeting: September of this year in Pittsburgh. Steelers 30 Bengals 27
Postseason History: Steelers lead 2-0
Steelers Regular Season Game Highs vs CIN:
PASSING: 414 yards Russell Wilson 12/01/2024
RUSHING: 185 yards Le’Veon Bell 12/07/2014
RECEIVING: 195 yards 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:
–Shorten the Game. Whenever you’re playing an offense with the high-flying capabilities of the Bengals, defense is obviously important. Just as crucial however is the offense’s role. The best way to keep Joe Burrow and company from scoring is by keeping them off the field. The Steelers’ running game is getting better and better. Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers have to resist the urge to throw and keep the ball on the ground with Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle.
-Inside Out. Joe Burrow gets rid of the ball in a damn hurry which makes it very difficult for edge rushers to sack him. It’s not impossible by any means but when the Bengals’ offense is clicking he’s nearly untouchable. That means interior pressure is of massive importance. Go back to the first meeting when the only time the interior of the Steelers’ defensive line got home was the deciding play where Derrick Harmon strip-sacked Burrow. Patrick Graham’s unit cannot wait that long to drive the pocket into Burrow’s lap this week. Interior pressure makes QBs uncomfortable and it often drives them to the left or right. That means into the arms of the edge rushers. The game may very well come down to this issue Sunday night.
–Tight Ends Day. Now, I’m not referring to Olympic gymnasts! I’m referring to Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington and even Robert Tonyan. The Bengals are going to load up the box to stop Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle which means the middle of the field should have some vacancy. ‘Muth has had some nice games recently against Cincy and that may be necessary again in order to get a win. I’m certain that the Bengals will be prepared for Darnell Washington on those wheel routes so Mike McCarthy needs something off of those looks. All three tight ends could be utilized in the red zone too.
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: The Secondary. It’s expected that Patrick Graham will use a ‘keep them in front of you’ approach Sunday night. That means his defensive backs have to communicate and it starts on the very back end. Robert Spears-Jennings, DeShon Elliott and Jaquan Brisker cannot misscommunicate and they cannot let anyone behind them. Don’t be surprised to see Jalen Ramsey use a bit differently this week. Rather than keeping him in the box, Graham may drop him into the zones a bit more.
X-Factor Bengals: Defensive Line. The Bengals are keenly aware that the Steelers are running the ball very well right now. The best way to limit the Steelers’ rushing attack is to stop it before it starts. Dexter Lawrence II, Jonathan Allen and company have to keep the Pittsburgh O-Line from establishing dominance and getting to the second level. If they can’t slow the Steelers running game then they’ll never get off the field.
Prediction: Both teams are playing well. One could argue the Steelers’ BYE week came at a horrible time. Will the stop in their streak be a good thing or will it break their rhythm? Keep a close eye on the officials in this game. Clete Blakeman’s crew usually spells trouble for the Steelers and that concerns me. Mike McCarthy knew he would need to score 30 points in the first meeting to win and that’s exactly what they did. For some reason I think both of the teams will score but don’t be surprised if the Black and Gold turn it over a couple of times and that will be the difference.
Bengals 27 Steelers 20
Season Prediction Record: 6-2
