PITTSBURGH — Joe Burrow passed for 277 yards and a touchdown, Cade York kicked four field goals, and the Cincinnati Bengals narrowly beat the struggling Pittsburgh Steelers 19-17 on Saturday night. This kept their hopes of making the playoffs alive.
Burrow also had an interception, ending his NFL streak of passing for 250 yards or more and three touchdowns.
But he did enough to lead the Bengals (9-8) to five straight wins and keep the team in the lead until the final day of the season.
If Denver loses to Kansas City on Sunday and Miami loses or ties with the Jets, Cincinnati will earn the No. 7 seed in the AFC.
Burrow completed 37 of 46 passes, including a 12-yard touchdown to Ja'Marr Chase on Cincinnati's first possession, giving the Bengals a lead they would never relinquish.
Chase had 10 receptions for 96 yards, putting him within striking distance of the NFL's Triple Crown of receivers (catches, yards, touchdowns).
The Bengals' late losing streak began after a 44-38 loss to the Steelers on Dec. 1, dropping them to 4-8. They haven't lost since then, Burrow is playing at an MVP level, and their once porous defense is playing its best football of the season.
Cincinnati held Pittsburgh's lead (10-7) to 193 yards, more than 300 fewer than the 520 yards the Steelers rolled up in the first matchup, but they reversed a late rally.
Trey Hendrickson sacked Russell Wilson 3¹/₂ times, pushing his season total to an NFL-leading 17¹/₂ on a night when the Bengals failed to keep the Steelers on track for a playoff spot.
Wilson passed for 148 yards and a touchdown, but most of his scores and yards came in the fourth quarter, when the Steelers were desperately trying to catch up.
Wilson completed a 19-yard touchdown pass to Pat Freiermuth, and Chris Boswell hit a 54-yard field goal to bring Pittsburgh within two points.
The Steelers got the ball back just after the two-minute warning, but it didn't reach Cincinnati's territory.
Wilson threw an incompletion to Friarmuth on fourth down, and Burrow made a knee down to extend the Bengals' season to the final day.
Pittsburgh is guaranteed to play next week despite losing four straight.
If the Los Angeles Chargers lose in Las Vegas, the Steelers will be the No. 5 seed. If the Chargers win, Pittsburgh will become the No. 6 seed and will face rival Baltimore in the first round.
