Joe Burrow passed for 277 yards and one touchdown and the Cincinnati Bengals remained alive in the AFC playoff race by notching a 19-17 victory over the host Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday night.
Ja’Marr Chase had 10 receptions for 96 yards and one touchdown and Cade York kicked four field goals as Cincinnati (9-8) won its fifth consecutive contest. The Bengals need the Denver Broncos to lose and Miami Dolphins to lose or tie their respective games on Sunday to nab a playoff berth.
Russell Wilson was 17-of-31 passing for 148 yards and one touchdown for Pittsburgh (10-7), which had just 193 total yards while losing its fourth straight game. The Steelers had already clinched a playoff berth but were eliminated from the AFC North race earlier Saturday when Baltimore defeated Cleveland.
Najee Harris rushed for a touchdown and Pat Freiermuth had eight receptions for 85 yards and a touchdown for Pittsburgh, which will either be the No. 5 or No. 6 seed in the AFC playoffs.
Chase is on his way to becoming the fifth player since 1970 to win the receiving Triple Crown. He finished the regular season with 127 receptions, 1,708 yards and 17 touchdown catches.
Trey Hendrickson had 3 1/2 sacks for the Bengals to raise his season output to an NFL-high 17.5.
The Steelers had just 91 offensive yards through three quarters but came alive in the fourth with a nine-play, 65-yard drive. Wilson capped it with a 19-yard touchdown pass to Freiermuth to bring Pittsburgh within 19-14 with 8:07 left.
The hosts later received a break when a punt hit the foot of Cincinnati’s DJ Ivey and was recovered by Connor Heyward at the Bengals’ 38-yard line. But Pittsburgh settled for Chris Boswell’s 54-yard field goal to move within two with 2:39 remaining.
The Steelers got the ball back with 1:51 left, but Wilson’s pass on fourth down from the Pittsburgh 40-yard line went off the hands of Freiermuth.
Burrow was 37-of-46 passing with an interception. He completed his first 12 throws, including all six on Cincinnati’s first drive, ending it with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Chase.
York booted a 48-yard field goal to make it 10-0 with 1:24 left in the first quarter. The Steelers got on the board when Harris scored from the 1-yard line with 9:54 left in the second.
York kicked a 27-yarder with 16 seconds left as Cincinnati held a 13-7 halftime lead. He hit from 35 yards with 6:56 remaining in the third quarter and made a 23-yarder with 11:02 left in the game to make it 19-7.
–Field Level Media
