The Bengals host the Pittsburgh Steelers with first place in the AFC North Division on the line on Sunday Night Football at Paycor Stadium. The game kicks off at 8:20 p.m. on NBC (Cincinnati’s channel 5). Here is what to watch for:

Burrow Aims to Match Manning

QB Joe Burrow has performed as the NFL's top quarterback over the past month, leading the league in completion percentage (77.0), touchdown passes (16) and passer rating (132.0) since Week 5.

"Joe is playing at an unbelievably high level right now," said head coach Zac Taylor following the Bengals' Week 9 win in Madrid, Spain. "It's difficult to not put the ball in his hand on every play, given how everybody is playing around him as well. We've just got to keep this momentum going."

Burrow has thrown for 1,215 yards and 16 touchdowns over the current four-game winning streak. He is the fourth QB in NFL history to record 16 passing touchdowns over a span of four games, joining Tom Brady (2007 with New England), Peyton Manning (2013 with Denver) and Russell Wilson (2015 and 2020 with Seattle). He also has at least four total touchdowns in each of the last four games, including a pair of rushing scores in Week 8 against Tennessee and last week versus Atlanta.

With four touchdowns, rushing or passing, this week against Pittsburgh, Burrow would match Manning as the only quarterbacks ever to hit that total in five consecutive games. Manning achieved the mark during his 2004 MVP season with Indianapolis.

In the Bengals' Week 3 loss at Pittsburgh, Burrow completed 75.7 percent of his passes (28 of 37) for 282 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions, good for a 123.9 rating. He led Cincinnati to either a TD or field goal on five of its eight total offensive possessions.

High-Powered Bengals Offense vs. Stout Pittsburgh Defense

Sunday night features a classic "strength vs. strength" matchup, as Cincinnati's offensive attack will look to penetrate a highly productive Steelers defense that is headlined by its pass rush.

The Bengals are averaging exactly 30.0 points per game this season, the second-best rate in the NFL behind Buffalo (32.0). They have scored 30 or more points in four straight games for the second time in team history, matching the team record set in 1997. Cincinnati is the only team across the league this season to put up 30+ points in four consecutive contests.

On the other side, Pittsburgh is tied for fourth in the NFL in points allowed per game, holding its opponents to an average of just 18.0. The Steelers have kept each of the past three teams they've faced to under 20 points, including a season-low six allowed in their most recent win against Cleveland in Week 8.

The Steelers have generated 26 sacks on the year, tied for the fourth-most by any team. While Cincinnati's offensive line kept Pittsburgh's pass rush in check for most of the Week 3 matchup at Acrisure Stadium, DT Derrick Harmon sealed the game when he strip-sacked Burrow in the final minute of regulation, leading to a Steelers recovery.

Another key area to watch in this game within the game is in the red zone. The Bengals rank fifth in the league in red zone offense, scoring a touchdown on 22 of 32 (68.8 percent) drives that reach their opponent's 20-yard line. The Steelers boast the third-best red zone defense, giving up a touchdown on just six of 18 (37.5 percent) opponent red zone trips.

Defense Seeks to Even Score with Warren

The Bengals' defense is coming off a Week 9 showing in which they kept Falcons running back Bijan Robinson to 48 rushing yards and 3.7 yards per carry over the final three quarters of play. They now turn their attention to Steelers RB Jaylen Warren, who got loose for 127 yards on the ground in Week 3 against Cincinnati.

Warren has emerged as one of the league's most productive backs this season. Beginning in that Week 3 matchup through Pittsburgh's most recent game in Week 8, he leads the NFL in yards per carry (6.3) and ranks fourth in rushing yards per game (102.5). He churned out a season-high 143 yards in his last outing, helping lead the Steelers to a dominant win over the Browns.

Dynamic Duo Climbing Bengals' TD Ranks

Cincinnati's Pro Bowl wide receiver duo of Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins continues to assert itself as one of the top tandems in NFL history. Both players have found the end zone in the past three games, and if they do so again on Sunday, they would become the first pair of WR teammates to each record a scoring catch in four consecutive contests since 2017 (Houston's DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller).

Chase's career touchdown receptions total now is up to 61, which is two shy of tying Carl Pickens (63) for third on the Bengals' all-time list. His 61 TD catches lead the NFL since he entered the league in 2021. Higgins, meanwhile, crossed the 50-touchdown milestone last week and now has 51 in his career, which are two away from Isaac Curtis (53) for fifth in Cincinnati history.

Extra Points

• Evan McPherson has made each of his last 24 field goal attempts dating back to Week 11 of last season. It is the longest streak in Bengals history and the longest active streak in the NFL.
• Dexter Lawrence II’s eight tackles for loss this season rank fourth among all defensive tackles.
• Sunday marks the third time in the history of the Bengals and Steelers rivalry in which both teams enter the matchup having won each of their previous four (or more) games. The previous instances came in 1975 and 1976.

Check out the Bengals 2026 Schedule.