The Pittsburgh Steelers will travel to face the Cincinnati Bengals in an NFL Week 10 rematch that has major implications for the AFC North race.
The former prevailed by a 30-27 margin when these teams first faced off in September in a back-and-forth affair that ended with the Pittsburgh
defense stopping a late bid by quarterback Joe Burrow and the Bengals offense to tie the game or take the lead late.The winner will take a one-game lead in the division. If the Steelers win, they’ll own the head-to-head tiebreaker at the end of the season. If the Bengals win, they’ll enjoy a favorable schedule to stay one step ahead of first-year coach Mike McCarthy’s team.
Here’s USA TODAY’s guide on what to look for in the matchup, which will air nationally on NBC’s
“Sunday Night Football.”
Will Joe Burrow crack the soft zone scheme?
The Bengals star came as close as anyone has all season to solving Pittsburgh defensive coordinator Patrick Graham’s revamped system designed to avoid getting beat on long pass plays.
Burrow completed 28 of 37 passes for 282 yards and three touchdowns during the initial Week 3 matchup. He found four different receivers for gains of at least 20 yards, and two of his three scoring tosses came from outside the red zone.
The Steelers have done a nice job of keeping the play in front of them since, a major reason they’re allowing just 14.25 points per game during their current four-game winning streak.
Burrow has the receiving talent to challenge that success once again. Ja’Marr Chase has 647 yards and seven touchdowns already in 2026. Counterpart Tee Higgins has been even better with 758 yards and six scores.
It should be quite the battle of wits, with Burrow likely holding the advantage as he gets the start at home at Paycor Stadium.
Which Aaron Rodgers will we see?
As good as Burrow was against Pittsburgh in that first meeting, the Steelers quarterback was even more efficient. He averaged 8.6 yards per attempt in piling up a total of 292 and three touchdowns, plus a tipped interception.
The big plays came early and often. Running back Jaylen Warren took the first pass of the game for a 30-yard gain en route to piling up 176 yards from scrimmage.
Tight end Darnell Washington had a 47-yard catch. Receiver Roman Wilson added a 38-yard touchdown. Tight end Pat Freiermuth and receiver Ben Skowronek added receptions of at least 20 yards of their own.
It was a sharp contrast to what we’ve seen from McCarthy’s offense since. Amid injuries to Wilson and fellow receiver Michael Pittman Jr., the playcalling has learned into the running game with Warren and a short-and-quick passing attack that’s decent at moving the chains but not so great at piling up yardage in bunches.
It will therefore be interesting to see to what degree McCarthy tries to stick with what worked against the Bengals versus what’s worked against the rest of the schedule so far.
Can Chase Brown find holes?
The Steelers defense has smothered opposing running games. It’s allowing an average of just 55 yards on the ground over the past four games.
The Bengals running back, however, has been kryptonite for the group over his past four outings against Pittsburgh.
He’s averaged 6.25 yards per carry and totaled 338 yards over the span, which has forced the Steelers to respect the run while seeking principally to slow Burrow, Chase and Higgins.
Pittsburgh has benefitted from being able to make opposing offenses one dimensional, so keep an eye on the amount of balance Brown is able to give Cincinnati in this one.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Steelers' soft zone scheme could have big problems with Bengals QB Joe Burrow
