Steelers Granted Huge Advantage Over Bengals Following Week 18 NFL Schedule Announcement

The Pittsburgh Steelers are not currently on track to enter the postseason on the right foot as the team is on a three-game losing streak. The trio of defeats essentially coughed up the AFC North and handed it over to the Baltimore Ravens. Mike Tomlin's team will still have something to prove in Week 18, however, and a win over the Cincinnati Bengals is crucial to avoid the Ravens in the first round. On Sunday evening, the NFL announced the slate for the final week of the regular season, and Tomlin and co. were given the 8pm primetime contest on Saturday evening.

While some fans may be upset that the Steelers have yet another game not occurring on a Sunday, there should be a different point of view when it comes to the matchup versus the Bengals. With both Pittsburgh and Cincinnati either in, or alive, regarding the playoff race, the NFL decided to capitalize on their Week 18 game. It also probably has the producers of Hard Knocks over the moon.

The Steelers are currently underdogs for the contest, but have two huge advantages over the Bengals that no one is really discussing just yet. First and foremost, Pittsburgh played on Wednesday in Week 17, leading to a mini-bye to get healthy and correct several issues that have plagued the team. 

The Bengals won't necessarily play on a short week as they had a Saturday game, but one of their key offensive players will get one less day to recover from an injury suffered on Saturday.

Running back Chase Brown went down to keep the clock running late in the fourth quarter against the Denver Broncos on Saturday, but it unfortunately led to an ankle injury. Reports have suggested that he is going to try and play, but the ailment may give him some problems.

Brown is a huge part of the Bengals' offense and even if he has the opportunity to suit up, he could be hampered and much slower than normal. This would be a huge loss and immediately give Teryl Austin's defense the ability to focus more on the passing game with Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.

Brown has been phenomenal in 2024 with 990 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. He is also a pivotal part of Cincinnati's pass-catching corps, hauling in 54 receptions for 360 yards and four touchdowns. Even if he is able to go, he will likely not be at 100%, and that allows for the Steelers to turn some of their attention away from the backfield.

Pittsburgh's defense has had struggles of late, which is one of the main reasons for the three-game skid. It's not going to get any easier with Joe Burrow coming to the Steel City, but a Saturday game with one less day to heal for Brown could ultimately mean he will be on street clothes, or at the very least, less effective than he normally is.

With only two games on the NFL's schedule for Saturday, the Bengals were desperately hoping that they were not involved to get Brown an extra night's rest. That, now, won't be the case, leading to an interesting situation for Cincinnati.

Steelers Need A Win Regardless Of What Ravens Do In Week 18

Baltimore and the Cleveland Browns will play prior to Pittsburgh and Cincinnati on Saturday, which means that Tomlin's team will know by kickoff if the AFC North crown is still within reach. It probably won't be, but a loss would open the door for the Los Angeles Chargers to earn the coveted five seed with a win on Sunday. The Steelers would much rather travel to play the Houston Texans, compared to the Ravens.

Do you think that Brown will suit up on Saturday for the Bengals? Let us know in the comments below!

#SteelerNation