The Cincinnati Bengals will face off against the Pittsburgh Steelers at 8:00 ET on Saturday, January 4th. This matchup is being played at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh.

The Bengals are favored on the road as they take on the Steelers at 8:00 ET on Saturday, January 4th. The game, being played at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, is a week 18 matchup and is being televised on ABC. The Bengals’ money line is -125, and the Steelers’ money line is +105, with the Bengals also favored by -1.5 on the point spread. The over/under line is set at 48.5 points.

• Date: Saturday, January 4th
• Time: 8:00 ET
• Location: Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh
• TV: ABC

Bengals vs Steelers

The Bengals have won four straight games, bringing their record to 8-8 and giving them a 10.1% chance of making the playoffs. Cincinnati ranks 13th in our NFL power rankings and is 9th in the AFC. They are 5-3 on the road and 3-5 at home. In division games, they are 2-3.

Against the spread, the Bengals are 10-6 and have covered in four consecutive games. They are 8-4 as favorites and 2-2 as underdogs. Their O/U record is 11-5, with their games averaging 54.4 points compared to an average line of 46.8.

After snapping a three-game losing streak, the Steelers sit at 10-6 and have a 100% chance of making the playoffs. They are 5th in the AFC and 14th in our power rankings heading into week 18. Pittsburgh has a +2.2 scoring margin and is 10-6 against the spread, but they have failed to cover in three straight games. Their O/U record is 8-8, with an average of 43.2 points in their games this season.

In week 17, the Steelers lost 29-10 to the Chiefs, bringing their record to 10-6. Before that, they had a 14-point loss to the Ravens in week 16 and a 14-point loss to the Eagles in week 15. Their last win came in week 14, when they beat the Browns 27-14.

Bengals Injury Report

• Sheldon Rankins – Illness (Out)
• Trent Brown – Knee (Out)
• Tanner Hudson – Knee (Questionable)
• Sam Hubbard – Knee (Questionable)
• Zack Moss – Neck (Out)
• Joe Bachie – Groin (Out)
• Logan Wilson – Knee (Out)
• Cam Sample – Achilles (Out)
• Evan McPherson – Undisclosed (Out)
• Chris Evans – Leg (Out)
• D’Ante Smith – Knee (Out)
• Jaxson Kirkland – Bicep (Out)
• Dax Hill – Knee (Out)
• Charlie Jones – Groin (Questionable)
• DJ Turner II – Clavicle (Out)
• Amarius Mims – Ankle/hand (Questionable)
• Chase Brown – Ankle (Questionable)
• Erick All Jr. – Knee (Out)
• Lance Robinson – Undisclosed (Out)
• Orlando Brown Jr. – Fibula (Questionable)
• Tee Higgins – Ankle (Questionable)
• Joe Burrow – Wrist (Questionable)
• Devin Cochran – Personal (Questionable)
• Drew Sample – Groin (Questionable)
• Kris Jenkins Jr. – Knee (Questionable)
• McKinnley Jackson – Wrist (Probable)

Steelers Injury Report

• Cameron Johnston – Knee (Out)
• James Daniels – Achilles (Out)
• Nate Herbig – Shoulder (Out)
• Calvin Anderson – Groin (Out)
• Cole Holcomb – Undisclosed (Questionable)
• C.J. Henderson – Neck (Out)
• Ben Skowronek – Hip (Questionable)
• Justin Fields – Abdomen (Probable)
• DeMarvin Leal – Neck (Out)
• Zyon Gilbert – Knee (Out)
• Joey Porter Jr. – Knee (Probable)
• Roman Wilson – Hamstring (Questionable)
• Troy Fautanu – Knee (Out)
• Jaylen Warren – Ribs (Questionable)
• Logan Lee – Calf (Questionable)
• Ryan Watts – Stinger (Out)

Bengals Offense Breakdown

Joe Burrow has been on fire, throwing for 412 yards and 3 touchdowns in week 17, following his 252-yard, 3-touchdown performance in week 16 and 271 yards in week 15. However, the Bengals’ offensive line has struggled, allowing 7 sacks in week 17 and 4 in week 16. Tee Higgins had a big game in week 17, with 11 catches for 131 yards and 3 touchdowns, while Ja’Marr Chase led the team in receiving in weeks 15 and 16.

Chase Brown rushed for 67 yards on 20 carries in week 17, after gaining 91 yards in week 16 and 97 yards in week 15. The Bengals are 4th in the NFL in 3rd-down conversions, with a rate of 47.3%, but they rank 26th in red zone conversion percentage. Heading into week 18, they are 6th in the league in scoring, averaging 28.3 points per game, and they lead the NFL in passing yards per game, with 274.6.

Steelers Offense Breakdown

Heading into week 18, the Steelers rank 18th in our offensive power rankings. They sit 14th in the NFL in points per game, averaging 22.7, and are 16th in yards per game with 327.3. Pittsburgh has leaned heavily on the run game, ranking 3rd in rushing attempts and 10th in rushing yards per game. On the other hand, they rank 28th in passing attempts and 25th in passing yards per game.

Russell Wilson threw for 205 yards in week 17, completing 23 of 37 passes with no touchdowns and one interception. The Steelers struggled in the 4th quarter, failing to score, and only managed 3 points in the 3rd quarter. Najee Harris led the team with 74 rushing yards on 13 carries, while Pat Freiermuth had 7 receptions for 60 yards.

Bengals Team Defense

In their 30-24 overtime win over the Broncos, the Bengals’ defense gave up 206 passing yards and allowed three passing touchdowns. They were able to force one interception, but Denver still completed 77.4% of their passes. The Bengals’ defense held the Broncos to a 33.3% conversion rate on third down.

On the ground, the Bengals allowed 123 rushing yards on 27 attempts. They gave up 329 total yards in the game and finished with two sacks, while also losing the tackles for loss battle by a margin of -1.

Steelers Team Defense

In their 29-10 loss to the Chiefs, the Steelers’ defense allowed 29 completions for 320 yards through the air. They struggled to generate pressure, finishing with no sacks and losing the quarterback hit differential by -7. Despite giving up just 69 rushing yards on 20 attempts, the Steelers allowed three passing touchdowns and a high 8.4 yards per attempt in the passing game.

Offensively, the Steelers managed just 10 points, and the defense was on the field for 30:51 minutes, as the Chiefs converted 70% of their red zone trips into touchdowns. Pittsburgh’s defense also allowed the Chiefs to convert on 50% of their third downs.

Bengals vs Steelers Trends

• Across their last five road contests, Cincinnati has been good against the spread posting a mark of 4-1. Their overall mark in these games was 3-2, while averaging 29 points per game.
• In their last five games at home, the Steelers have a straight up record of 2-3 while going 2-3 vs. the spread. The team averaged 24 points per game in this stretch.
• The last five games that Pittsburgh was the underdog, they have an ATS mark of 2-3 while going 2-3 straight up.
• Looking back on the team’s last ten games as the favorite, the Bengals have a straight up record of 8-2. Their record vs the spread in these games was 8-2.

Bengals vs Steelers Prediction

Our projected score for this week 18 matchup between the Bengals and Steelers is 28-22 in favor of the Steelers. With the point spread sitting at -1.5 in favor of the Bengals, we like the Steelers to not only win but cover as home underdogs.

As for an over/under pick, we are leaning towards taking the over, with a projected combined score of 50 points and the O/U line at 48.5 points.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.