The AFC North is out, so Steelers are going for seeding, Bengals are fighting for a playoff spot.
The second game of Saturday gets going at 5:00 with the Cincinnati Bengals traveling to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Yep, the entire AFC North gets Saturday.
Unlike the Cleveland Browns, the Bengals are not eliminated from playoff contention. To get a postseason spot, they need to defeat the Steelers. After that’s accomplished, they then need both the Denver Broncos to lose to the Kansas City Chiefs (probable—but the Chiefs are resting starters) and the Miami Dolphins to lose to the New York Jets (less possible). Given how awful their season started, that’s quite a turnaround.
The Steelers have clinched a playoff spot; now it’s just a matter of where they are seeded. As this is being written, the Brown are getting beaten by the Ravens into the 4th quarter, so the AFC North division crown is out of the picture if the score holds up. Most likely, the best possible scenario is the No. 5 seed. If the Steelers lose and the Los Angeles Chargers win, then Pittsburgh goes to No. 6.
So some variables still at play.
FanDuel Sportsbook has the Bengals favored by 2.5 points. Given how the Bengals are trying to get a playoff spot while Pittsburgh can effectively rest starters at some point at the cost of a lower seed, I will take the Bengals to cover this.
The over-under is set at 48.5 points. The Bengals have been making the over quite a bit this year and I don’t think much changes. Give me the over and may the odds be in your favor.
See all of you tomorrow for the final game of the San Francisco 49ers’ 2024 season.