The Pittsburgh Steelers don’t have much to play for Saturday, as their playoff position can only move so much with just one week remaining in the regular season.
It’s the Cincinnati Bengals, though.
Pittsburgh and Cincy will square off one final time at Acrisure Stadium on Saturday, with the latter needing a victory and two separate losses to make its way into the postseason. The Steelers are looking to snap their three-game losing streak, however, which is why head coach Mike Tomlin isn’t resting his starters.
Bengals cornerback Mike Hilton — who spent five seasons with the Steelers — knows what to expect entering the matchup, as his former team will be geared up trying to prevent his new one from making the postseason.
“It’s going to be a bloodbath,” Hilton said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “One team is in the playoffs. We’re fighting for our playoff lives, so it’s going to be fireworks. If I know (Tomlin), he’s talking to the guys right now and getting them fired up before Saturday. We expect to be challenged. All their guys are going to be going. They’re on a three-game skid right now. I’m sure they want to catch some momentum in the playoffs.”
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The Bengals fell to the Steelers earlier in the season but have since figured things out, rattling off four straight wins to get back to .500 (8-8) on the season. Pittsburgh can make that turnaround pointless by getting the job done on homefield, though.
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