The former prevailed by a 30-27 margin when these teams first faced off in September in a back-and-forth affair that ended with the Pittsburgh defense stopping a late bid by quarterback Joe Burrow and the Bengals offense to tie the game or take the lead late.
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The winner will take a one-game lead in the division. If the Steelers win, they’ll own the head-to-head tiebreaker at the end of the season. If the Bengals win, they’ll enjoy a favorable schedule to stay one step ahead of first-year coach Mike McCarthy’s team.
Here’s USA TODAY’s guide on what to look for in the matchup, which will air nationally on NBC’s “Sunday Night Football.”
The Bengals star came as close as anyone has all season to solving Pittsburgh defensive coordinator Patrick Graham’s revamped system designed to avoid getting beat on long pass plays.
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Burrow completed 28 of 37 passes for 282 yards and three touchdowns during the initial Week 3 matchup. He found four different receivers for gains of at least 20 yards, and two of his three scoring tosses came from outside the red zone.
The Steelers have done a nice job of keeping the play in front of them since, a major reason they’re allowing just 14.25 points per game during their current four-game winning streak.
Burrow has the receiving talent to challenge that success once again. Ja’Marr Chase has 647 yards and seven touchdowns already in 2026. Counterpart Tee Higgins has been even better with 758 yards and six scores.
It should be quite the battle of wits, with Burrow likely holding the advantage as he gets the start at home at Paycor Stadium.
1 / 20
Notable injuries throughout the 2026 NFL season
Lamar Jackson, BAL (right thumb) – IR
Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens looks down at his thumb while walking off the field against the Buffalo Bills during the first quarter of the game at Highmark Stadium on November 01, 2026 in Orchard Park, New York.
(Bryan M. Bennett, Getty Images)
1 / 20
Notable injuries throughout the 2026 NFL season
Lamar Jackson, BAL (right thumb) – IR
Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens looks down at his thumb while walking off the field against the Buffalo Bills during the first quarter of the game at Highmark Stadium on November 01, 2026 in Orchard Park, New York.
(Bryan M. Bennett, Getty Images)
2 / 20
Notable injuries throughout the 2026 NFL season
Jalen Hurts, PHI (calf thrombosis) – IR
Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles looks to throw the ball during the 2026 NFL London Games match between Philadelphia Eagles and Jacksonville Jaguars at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on October 11, 2026 in London, England.
(Ryan Pierse, Getty Images)
3 / 20
Notable injuries throughout the 2026 NFL season
Sam Darnold, SEA (quad) – Out Week 9
Sam Darnold #14 of the Seattle Seahawks reacts against the Chicago Bears during the fourth quarter of the game at Lumen Field on November 02, 2026 in Seattle, Washington.
(Olivia Vanni, Getty Images)
4 / 20
Notable injuries throughout the 2026 NFL season
Christian McCaffrey, SF (hamstring) – DNP Wednesday
Christian McCaffrey #23 of the San Francisco 49ers makes a catch against Xavier Watts #31 of the Atlanta Falcons during the fourth quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on October 25, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia.
(Kevin C. Cox, Getty Images)
5 / 20
Notable injuries throughout the 2026 NFL season
(Steph Chambers, Getty Images)
6 / 20
Notable injuries throughout the 2026 NFL season
Deshaun Watson, CLE (concussion) – Out
Deshaun Watson #4 of the Cleveland Browns goes down during the first quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium on November 01, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
(Justin K. Aller, Getty Images)
7 / 20
Notable injuries throughout the 2026 NFL season
Mike Evans, SF (achilles) – DNP Wednesday
Mike Evans #5 of the San Francisco 49ers reacts after a play against the Washington Commanders during the second quarter of the game at Levi’s Stadium on October 19, 2026 in Santa Clara, California.
(Lachlan Cunningham, Getty Images)
8 / 20
Notable injuries throughout the 2026 NFL season
Deebo Samuel Sr., SF (hamstring) – DNP Wednesday
Deebo Samuel Sr. #19 of the San Francisco 49ers warms up before the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on October 17, 2026 in Seattle, Washington.
(Steph Chambers, Getty Images)
9 / 20
Notable injuries throughout the 2026 NFL season
Emeka Egbuka, TB (foot) – DNP Wednesday
Emeka Egbuka #2 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers runs for yards during a game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on October 08, 2026 in Arlington, Texas.
Jayden Reed #11 of the Green Bay Packers is taken off the field due to an injury against the New York Jets during the first half of the game at MetLife Stadium on September 20, 2026 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Myles Garrett #95 of the Los Angeles Rams warms up prior to the NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on September 11, 2026 in Melbourne, Australia.
De’Zhaun Stribling of the San Francisco 49ers is attended to by trainers after an injury in the second quarter of the NFL football game against Los Angeles Rams at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on September 11, 2026, in Melbourne, Australia.
(Robert Cianflone, Getty Images)
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Notable injuries throughout the 2026 NFL season
(Nic Antaya, Getty Images)
16 / 20
Notable injuries throughout the 2026 NFL season
Jordyn Tyson, NO (hamstring) – Returns to practice
Jordyn Tyson of the New Orleans Saints participates in drills during training camp at Ochsner Sports Performance Center on July 30, 2026, in Metairie, Louisiana.
(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)
17 / 20
Notable injuries throughout the 2026 NFL season
Christian Kirk, SF (calf) – Questionable
Christian Kirk of the Jacksonville Jaguars is introduced against the San Francisco 49ers during the game at EverBank Field on November 12, 2023, in Jacksonville, Florida.
(Mike Carlson, Getty Images)
18 / 20
Notable injuries throughout the 2026 NFL season
Ricky Pearsall, SF (knee) – Out for season
Ricky Pearsall of the San Francisco 49ers works out during training camp practice at SAP Performance Facility on July 27, 2026, in Santa Clara, California.
(Thearon W. Henderson, Getty Images)
19 / 20
Notable injuries throughout the 2026 NFL season
Chris Brazzell, CAR (knee) – Out for season
Chris Brazzell II of the Carolina Panthers warms up during the Carolina Panthers Training Camp at Carolina Panthers Practice Fields on July 23, 2026, in Charlotte, North Carolina.
(David Jensen, Getty Images)
20 / 20
Notable injuries throughout the 2026 NFL season
Jayden Higgins, HOU (knee) – Out for season
Jayden Higgins of the Houston Texans catches a pass for a touchdown during the second quarter of the game against the Indianapolis Colts at NRG Stadium on January 04, 2026, in Houston, Texas.
(Tim Warner, Getty Images)
Which Aaron Rodgers will we see?
As good as Burrow was against Pittsburgh in that first meeting, the Steelers quarterback was even more efficient. He averaged 8.6 yards per attempt in piling up a total of 292 and three touchdowns, plus a tipped interception.
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The big plays came early and often. Running back Jaylen Warren took the first pass of the game for a 30-yard gain en route to piling up 176 yards from scrimmage.
Tight end Darnell Washington had a 47-yard catch. Receiver Roman Wilson added a 38-yard touchdown. Tight end Pat Freiermuth and receiver Ben Skowronek added receptions of at least 20 yards of their own.
It was a sharp contrast to what we’ve seen from McCarthy’s offense since. Amid injuries to Wilson and fellow receiver Michael Pittman Jr., the playcalling has learned into the running game with Warren and a short-and-quick passing attack that’s decent at moving the chains but not so great at piling up yardage in bunches.
It will therefore be interesting to see to what degree McCarthy tries to stick with what worked against the Bengals versus what’s worked against the rest of the schedule so far.
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Can Chase Brown find holes?
The Steelers defense has smothered opposing running games. It’s allowing an average of just 55 yards on the ground over the past four games.
The Bengals running back, however, has been kryptonite for the group over his past four outings against Pittsburgh.
He’s averaged 6.25 yards per carry and totaled 338 yards over the span, which has forced the Steelers to respect the run while seeking principally to slow Burrow, Chase and Higgins.
Pittsburgh has benefitted from being able to make opposing offenses one dimensional, so keep an eye on the amount of balance Brown is able to give Cincinnati in this one.
