Saturday's two-game NFL slate features the AFC North, and it concludes with the Cincinnati Bengals' visit to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Cincinnati needs a win and help in order to make the playoffs, while Pittsburgh is heading into the postseason but still has a chance for the division title pending the Baltimore Ravens' result against the Cleveland Browns.
It's time to break down the Bengals vs. Steelers matchup and discuss the best bets to make.
The schedule is interesting, as all of the Sunday games with similar playoff implications are being played at the same time. That isn't the case on Saturday, when Cleveland and Baltimore kick off at 4:30 PM ET before Cincinnati and Pittsburgh play the nightcap at 8 PM.
The Ravens are ridiculous -20.0 favorites over the Browns, so – barring a miracle – the Steelers will be eliminated from AFC North title contention by the time their game starts.
Pittsburgh's Wild Card seed could still change, but that isn't enough to risk injuries one week before the playoffs by going all out for four quarters against a division rival.
Of course, even at 100 percent, the Steelers simply aren't as good as the Bengals right now. In fact, head coach Mike Tomlin's team has lost three games in a row and all three losses during this stretch are alarming.
They lost to the Philadelphia Eagles by 14 points, to Baltimore by 17 and to the Kansas City Chiefs by 19. Obviously, those are outstanding opponents, but the fact that Pittsburgh wasn't remotely competitive on any occasion is cause for concern.
The Bengals, on the other hand, have surged of late to keep themselves in the playoff picture.
Joe Burrow is turning in MVP-worthy performances left and right (although he will probably fall short to either Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson) and probably single-handedly won fantasy owners their championships. Cincinnati has won four straight and is averaging 32.4 points per game over its last eight contests.
Look for the Bengals to win and cover – regardless of the Ravens' result earlier in the day.
The Steelers' offense has been a bit stagnant of late, but a rematch with the Bengals should be just what the doctor ordered. These two division rivals faced each other in Week 13 and Pittsburgh put up 44 points to go along with 520 total yards and 28 first downs.
Cincinnati's defense has been awful all season long, so Pittsburgh should be in line for another productive day at the office on the offensive side of the ball.
Meanwhile, Cincinnati's 38 points are the most Pittsburgh has allowed during the 2024 campaign. With the way Burrow is rolling right now, there is no reason why his team can't score that many again this weekend – especially if some of the Steelers' defensive starters sit out all or some of the game.
All things considered, the Over looks like the best way to play this Saturday night matchup between two teams who combined for 895 total yards in their first head-to-head showdown of the season.
Pittsburgh's defense gets a lot of hype mainly because of T.J. Watt, but it is better against the run (No. 7 in the league) than against the pass (No. 23).
The Steelers have allowed 22 touchdowns through the air to go along with 7.2 yards per attempt. A red-hot Ja'Marr Chase should be able to capitalize.
He has racked up 16 touchdowns this season, including an amazing nine in the last seven games.
With Burrow on fire and targeting his favorite receiver at an incredible rate (161 total targets this year), Chase has every reason to find the end zone against Pittsburgh. Even at short -138 odds, Chase has great value to score on Saturday night.
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Cincinnati Bengals | -135 ML |
Pittsburgh Steelers | +115 ML |
Spread | CIN Bengals -2.0 |
Total Points | O/U 48.0 |
Ja'Marr Chase (CIN) | -138 |
Chase Brown (CIN) | +100 |
Khalil Herbert (CIN) | +100 |
George Pickens (PIT) | +105 |
Najee Harris (PIT) | +110 |
Jaylen Warren (PIT) | +220 |
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.