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Steelers vs. Bengals Clash: NFL Playoff Seeding Implications
SportsGrid
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1/4/2025
Category
🥇
Sports
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00:00
We've got the Cincinnati Bengals and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
00:03
Let's just kind of take a second with this game here.
00:06
We got a lot of time to expand on it.
00:08
The number is currently two and a half.
00:11
The oddity of this game.
00:13
I know some people took a little bit of issue with the NFL schedule approach
00:16
because the notion for some when they saw the schedule was Baltimore wins,
00:21
Pittsburgh rests, which would be an advantage for Pittsburgh.
00:24
No, because you know, the NFL always tries to line things up.
00:28
But there's plenty to argue that Pittsburgh will not rest.
00:32
Pittsburgh will come out guns blazing here.
00:35
A loss for the Steelers would mean that the Chargers would be a win away from
00:40
jumping them for the fifth seed.
00:42
Win for the Steelers would seed lock them into the five.
00:46
So and of course the difference between the projected situation is the fifth
00:50
seed will get you the Texans.
00:52
The sixth seed will get you the Baltimore Ravens.
00:55
Donnie.
00:56
I know you're a proponent of rest.
00:57
If you can get it.
00:59
How do you feel about Pittsburgh and what their effort level should be
01:02
assuming the division isn't on the line when they play tonight?
01:06
You have to get the fifth seed.
01:07
It's almost automatic.
01:08
And also maybe it's a little bit different if Pittsburgh's playing.
01:11
Okay football down the stretch played a couple quality teams didn't play all
01:14
that.
01:14
Well, you can't be on your home football field a week before the playoffs going
01:17
in on a skid where you're not playing well, particularly if you lose to the
01:20
Bengals and they put a 45 points and you just can't trail them here.
01:23
So let's get that one out of the way.
01:24
But for me, you have to look down the road so many times for your football
01:28
team.
01:28
It's why I get mad at Detroit.
01:29
Donnie's just a Detroit hitter.
01:30
No, Donnie's the only guy that you know, that was backing Detroit the entire
01:33
season with tickets behind it who I hope gets to the NFC championship game and
01:37
wins it.
01:37
But I don't think Detroit did themselves any favors last week on what they can
01:40
actually do in the playoffs.
01:42
Pittsburgh can do that today Joe.
01:43
And some people say what why don't you rest?
01:45
You're already in your best chances to be fully healthy.
01:48
But when you look at who you're going to play, you don't want to necessarily
01:51
avoid teams in NFL because sometimes it just doesn't work out that way.
01:54
But if you're telling us that you can play Baltimore on the road next week, or
01:58
you could play Houston on the road next week, it's clear cut and simple.
02:01
If you are the Pittsburgh Steelers, you got to play in this game because you
02:04
need that fifth seed.
02:05
And also you control your own seating as Kevin brought up.
02:08
We Harbaugh already answered the question.
02:10
We'd love the fifth seed.
02:12
They lose to Pittsburgh wins today.
02:13
They don't get it.
02:14
He's resting his players not I'm old school Harbaugh and I want to play my
02:17
entire starters all the way through Joe.
02:18
So it does matter.
02:19
And for me, that's why I think you're going to get the best effort out of the
02:22
Steelers, but I have to worry the back of your mind.
02:24
Are they going to pull anybody?
02:25
Think about where the Steelers have been.
02:27
They've lost three straight games to Donnie's point.
02:30
They've lost those games by an average margin of defeat of 16.6 points per
02:34
game.
02:35
So they haven't even really been all that competitive down the stretch.
02:38
You lose this game.
02:39
You limp into the playoffs losing four straight and on the flip side for
02:43
Cincinnati.
02:44
They're a hot football team, right?
02:45
They've won four straight games by an average margin of victory of 10.2
02:49
points per game battle tested on the road.
02:51
Five and three straight up.
02:52
They've won those five games by an average margin of victory of 8.8 points
02:57
per game.
02:57
And right now they have the more consistent offense and more consistent
03:00
quarterback heading into this ballgame.
03:02
What do we talk about Russell Wilson since that 414 yard performance?
03:07
He's basically average around a hundred and seventy three passing yards per
03:11
game over the last three or four weeks.
03:13
You cannot have that going up against Joe Burrow and more importantly cannot
03:18
have that going in to any type of playoff situation.
03:21
Whether you play CJ Stroud, whether you play Lamar Jackson, it doesn't matter
03:25
your offense needs to find continuity heading into this game.
03:29
So I think you get Pittsburgh's best effort tonight.
03:31
It's it's very tough because I do think rest is paramount and look no doubt
03:37
about it.
03:38
The number for Pittsburgh will look way different depending on where they go,
03:41
right?
03:41
You're talking probably over a touchdown at this point with the way the Ravens
03:45
are playing.
03:45
If that's where you're going with the way the Texans are right now field goal
03:49
or less maybe under that field goal for some if you're in on Pittsburgh.
03:54
The only thing that maybe I would argue the other side is typically they have
04:00
a way to take the Ravens say come on get down here.
04:02
This is our level now.
04:03
We saw it's very odd because it's way more of a college thing where it's like
04:08
listen.
04:08
This is a rivalry the old cliche throw the records out.
04:11
I don't think there's any equivalent in the NFL to what the Ravens and the
04:15
Steelers are like people always try and it's the whole AFC North.
04:19
Not really.
04:20
I don't know the Steelers play the Bengals.
04:22
We get 700 points in one of those games, right?
04:24
Like if a game between the Steelers and you know, Ravens ever looks like that.
04:28
I think my head would spin if you told me him a man Mike Tom's going to get a
04:32
full week of preparation.
04:34
He's going to go into Baltimore and I'd certainly be tempted to grab the number
04:38
right?
04:38
I just it's such an interesting thing because you also have a Charger team
04:44
who by no means is a block to win their football game necessarily the Raiders
04:50
can't help themselves but win every week now that their seasons officially over
04:54
here.
04:55
I think it's I think it's an interesting spot as well because whether Pittsburgh
04:59
goes for it or not not gonna be favorites.
05:01
Yeah, right, right, right because of what Cincinnati needs now and that becomes
05:06
very very interesting here when we talk about this side what I would say is
05:10
because I do I expect Pittsburgh to give it their all.
05:13
The Ravens are eliminated.
05:15
I feel as if more bets will come in on Cincinnati.
05:18
I think the number on Pittsburgh is good.
05:21
I just want it to be great Donnie.
05:23
If you can get three three and a half by some chance, that's when I'd be more
05:27
interested in betting Pittsburgh.
05:28
Also, you have to understand Cincinnati going on the road one of the worst
05:31
defenses in the NFL.
05:32
We understand that but also we know that Pittsburgh hasn't played that great.
05:35
But to Kevin's point, it does make some sense because the general thought is
05:38
going to be like, okay now the Steelers don't have anything to play for when I
05:42
think their mindset all week already is a foregone conclusion that might be
05:45
different show.
05:46
You take a look at Cleveland brings their a team and they're just outside of
05:49
the playoffs.
05:49
This line is six and a half.
05:50
Yeah, there's a little bit more ammo and a little bit more deflation.
05:53
Once you get to that second game like oh man, that was our real chance to maybe
05:56
win this.
05:57
I don't think you're looking at this game going.
05:58
It's a 20 point line and anything can happen.
06:00
Yes, but they know deep down.
06:02
They're probably not going to get there.
06:03
But for me from Cincinnati to T Higgins coming in this game, probably the last
06:06
football game is going to play for the Cincinnati Bengals.
06:08
He's already banged up.
06:09
Does he want to get hurt even worse?
06:10
I'm not saying T Higgins is going to play because he played this entire year
06:13
and also Chase Brown.
06:14
He's been a very good running back limping might not even play in this ball
06:18
game.
06:18
That's a key cog here.
06:19
So if you're down a couple weapons for Cincinnati with a bad defense on the
06:22
road against a team with the Steelers, that's going to be bringing a lot of
06:25
heat from that front seven.
06:26
This is a good interesting team.
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