Pittsburgh Steelers Vs Bengals Match Player Stats
With no margin for error in their playoff hopes, the Bengals travel to Heinz Field (now Acrisure Stadium) to face off with the Steelers on Saturday afternoon. Here are a few players to watch during this matchup.
The Steelers boast the highest blitz six or more defenders rate in the league at 21% of defensive snaps and the fifth best three and out rate on defense, making Pittsburgh Steelers Vs Bengals Match Player Stats a key focus for fans analyzing this AFC North rivalry.
| Date | Match | Result | Key Player Stats |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Nov 2025 | Pittsburgh Steelers vs Cincinnati Bengals | Steelers won 34-12 | Aaron Rodgers threw TD passes, Kenneth Gainwell scored, Tee Higgins caught a TD for Bengals. |
| 16 Oct 2025 | Pittsburgh Steelers vs Cincinnati Bengals | Bengals won 33-31 | Joe Flacco passed for big yards, DK Metcalf scored, Bengals offense produced 470 total yards. |
| 4 Jan 2025 | Cincinnati Bengals vs Pittsburgh Steelers | Bengals won 19-17 | Bengals defense held Steelers to 193 total yards while Joe Burrow guided the offense late. |
| 1 Dec 2024 | Pittsburgh Steelers vs Cincinnati Bengals | Steelers won 44-38 | Russell Wilson threw for 414 yards and 3 TDs, Ja’Marr Chase starred for Bengals in a high-scoring clash. (ESPN.com) |
| 23 Dec 2023 | Cincinnati Bengals vs Pittsburgh Steelers | Steelers won 34-11 | Mason Rudolph led Pittsburgh’s offense, Najee Harris added rushing production, Bengals struggled offensively. |
Running Backs
Steelers and Bengals teams met again in a playoff encounter since 2005 when Pittsburgh defeated Cincinnati on its way to winning Super Bowl XL. On Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium, these rivals met once more for an AFC Wild Card Game where Pittsburgh scored 24 unanswered points to beat Cincinnati 31-17 and advance.
The Steeler offense managed to overcome injuries to quarterback Aaron Rodgers and running back Jaylen Warren to secure victory, with linebacker Oren Burks posting seven tackles and one sack while Myles Murphy added two more sacks and four tackles during this victory.
On defense, safety Jalen Ramsey was ejected due to an altercation with Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase; yet linebacker Oren Burks recorded seven tackles and one sack with linebacker Myles Murphy also adding two sacks and four tackles of his own during this victory.
After an unscored first quarter, the Steelers finally broke through on their second drive of the game when rookie running back Zach Fulton ran three yards to his left before sprinting one yard into the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown.
Shortly afterwards, Antonio Brown made two big plays that extended their lead further – his 20-yard catch on third down turned into 28 yard reception of screen pass from backup quarterback Ben Roethlisberger that converted first and 23 on Bengals drive;
Ryan Shazier forced a fumble by running back Jeremy Hill which Vontaze Burfict recovered it before continuing his next Bengals drive and recovering it with linebacker Vontaze Burfict recovering it on Bengals drive as well.
Chris Boswell rebounded from his miss in Los Angeles by making both of his field goal attempts on Sunday – though one was a chip-shot attempt – while Corliss Waitman punted four times and averaged 44.3 yards with two being downed inside the 20-yard line to help the Steelers maintain possession.
The Bengals’ rushing attack struggled against the Steelers, as they only produced 105 yards on the ground. Chase Brown led with 99 yards on 18 carries.
Their struggles on the ground were compounded by poor kick return unit play which saw Ke’Shawn Williams go down early in the second quarter due to injury; wide receiver Calvin Austin III only returned one kickoff for 20 yards and then mishandled one punt return which was picked up by Steelers D’Shawn Jamison and returned for a touchdown.
Wide Receivers
Last time out, Steelers wide receivers Antonio Brown and Juju Smith-Schuster combined for 155 yards on only four receptions. Both players possess great ability to make big plays in this contest;
Brown leads his team with the highest catch percentage (50.0%) of any receiver and Smith-Schuster is second at 49%. Although Bengals pass coverage is ranked seventh overall, there may be openings that can be exploited to score big plays against their defense.
The Bengals allow 199.4 receiving yards per game to wide receivers aligned out wide, but allow only 14.2 yards to pass catchers aligned tight – likely due to their poor secondary, which has allowed eight touchdown passes to opposing tight ends this season. Furthermore, their inexperienced starting roster makes them vulnerable against passing plays.
Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins have proven to be particularly dangerous this season, excelling at getting open on deep routes while being difficult for cornerbacks to cover one-on-one.
Furthermore, both players share an exceptional rapport with quarterback Joe Flacco who often pushes the ball downfield or throws up plays in one-on-one situations for them to exploit.
Both players possess the capability of breaking long runs, while their speed allows for separation on the outside. To stop them effectively, the Steelers must focus on slowing them down and forcing them inside where they may be vulnerable to cutbacks.
Chase ran for 108 yards on just 11 attempts during their previous meeting and scored two touchdowns – making him an invaluable weapon against an opposing Bengals team that is struggling on the ground. He will likely play an even larger role this time around as his presence may prove crucial for them in this contest.
Jeremy Hill has been an impressive running back for the Bengals this season, yet his performances have been highly inconsistent.
He has yet to hit 100 rushing yards in any game this year and only three games with over 20 attempts; also, in their loss against Steelers he averaged only 3.6 yards per carry with several fumbles as a result of that game alone!
The Bengals continued their fumbling issues against the Steelers as RB Jeremy Hill lost a fumble during third down play that was recovered by LB Vontaze Burfict; K Chris Boswell later scored the game-winning field goal.
Offensive Line
The Steelers’ offensive line has been among the best in the NFL this year, especially due to their impressive ability to limit penalties.
Pittsburgh leads in fewest offensive line penalties and only Los Angeles Rams have less penalty yards than them; Pittsburgh starters have collectively only collected 13 flags throughout eight games!
The Bengals offensive line, on the other hand, has been less effective this year. They’ve been penalized for 92 penalties and their pass protection has struggled.
Their running game has also been inconsistent – Mike Nugent managed 51 attempts but only averaged 3.2 yards per carry last week! A major contributor to their poor performance has been starting right guard David Fautanu who is currently sidelined with a foot injury.
Not only has their running game struggled this season, but their offense has given away too many points off turnovers as well. Along with Jaguars for most giveaways in league and have yet to score from any fumble returns whereas Steelers have scored seven points from their turnovers while only fumbling three times this year.
Even with all their issues, the Bengals’ offense remains potent. They rank third in total yards and fourth in passing yards thanks to Joe Burrow’s impressive rookie performance. Additionally, the Bengals have improved significantly in red zone conversion rate this year with 57% conversion rates being achieved this season.
The Steelers announced on Wednesday they have elevated linebacker Mark Robinson and cornerback D’Shawn Jamison from their practice squads to their active roster for this week’s game against Bengals, respectively. Both players will return back onto it afterwards.
Robinson has appeared in two special teams snaps this season and provides depth chart coverage. Jamison will provide another depth chart option.
Defensive Line
Pittsburgh’s Steel Curtain defense limited Cincinnati Bengals to 17 points or less in 10 of 12 meetings from 1974-1977, playing to a scoreless draw in 1976 season opener and going on to sweep their regular-season series by winning in 1977 for their first series sweep since 1981.
Both teams rank among the league leaders in turnover differential this season, with Cincinnati outdoing Pittsburgh considerably by taking away opposing team possession more efficiently than Pittsburgh (whose +7 turnover ratio ranks second highest) or Pittsburgh (+7); only Jets and Jaguars outperform Cincinnati in this regard.
In 2025, Adam Heyward led a Steelers defensive line unit which finished third in Pro Football Focus’ final defensive line grade.
They excelled at run defense and interior pressure while struggling to consistently stop passes – particularly short yardage situations – though Heyward helped anchor it nicely while young talents like Benton and Harmon developed within it – positioning this group well for 2026 provided depth issues can be managed effectively.
Chris Hubbard made an impressive debut as left tackle against the Bengals, playing an astounding 73 snaps for an all-time career high snap count and earning a 90.4 grade from Pro Football Focus (PFF). Although frequently hit on the edge, Hubbard performed admirably inside where his performance graded 94.4 overall.
Once Joe Haden had been sidelined, the Steelers signed Hubbard back to bolster their depth in coverage while still being effective in run defense and with potential to become an everyday starter.
Darnell Washington and Jonnu Smith have both been inconsistent as backups. Washington has only played less than 40 snaps per game in his past two contests while Smith has seen only 21 plays during that same span.
Both will need to improve if the Steelers wish to maintain their AFC North lead against Cincinnati. Likewise, their rushing defense has allowed several tight end carries which may pose problems going forward.
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