The 6-2 Pittsburgh Steelers will do battle with the 6-2 Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday Night Football in Week 10. In order for the Steelers to secure a victory over the Bengals and earn their seventh win of the season, the team would be wise to follow these defensive keys.
From turning up the pressure to forcing the Bengals to lean on their weakest link on offense, here's a look at three defensive keys for the Steelers in Week 10.
Pressure Joe Burrow
To stop the high-powered Bengals passing attack in Week 10, the Steelers are going to need to find a way to sack Joe Burrow. Make no mistake, doing so is no easy feat, as the Steelers sacked Burrow just once in Week 3. The Bengals have done an excellent job at protecting their quarterback in 2026, allowing just 1.9 sacks
per game, which is the 10th fewest in the NFL. Pittsburgh will need T.J. Watt, Cameron Heyward, Alex Highsmith, and the returning Derrick Harmon at their very best in order to sack Burrow early and often.
Contain Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins
Another major staple of the Bengals offense, wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, will need to be contained if the Steelers hope to walk out of Sunday Night Football with their seventh win of the season. Higgins and Chase have combined for 693 yards and eight touchdowns over the last three game — which should terrify opposing defenses. One area where the Steelers may have an advantage is in their explosive-play rate, as Pittsburgh has allowed these plays on just 10.4% of defensive snaps, tied for the third fewest in the league — this should help the team immensely when facing Higgins and Chase. While completely eliminating their impact on Sunday Night Football is unrealistic, if the Steelers defense can find a way to contain the damage, that will give Pittsburgh its best shot at coming away with the win.
Make the Bengals beat Pittsburgh with their running game
The Bengals' run game is one of the worst in the NFL, rushing for just 85.6 yards per game, which is the third worst in the NFL. Cincinnati is averaging just 3.9 yards a carry. The Bengals are also the only team without a run of 20-plus yards. If Pittsburgh can take away Burrow's passing windows and force the Bengals to rush the football, the Steelers will almost assuredly pick up the win this week.
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This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Steelers' defensive keys to victory for Week 10 game vs. Bengals
