The Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals are getting set for a huge divisional battle to kick off Week 7 of the 2025 NFL season on Thursday Night Football.
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The Steelers have a commanding lead in the AFC North as they sit at 4-1, ahead of the second-place Bengals who enter the matchup at 2-4. The Bengals likely need to get a win on Thursday, or they risk the Steelers running away with the division.
The Bengals made a big quarterback change last week, trading for veteran Joe Flacco who started against the Green Bay Packers in the team’s 27-18 loss. Flacco replaced Jake Browning, who had struggled mightily since taking over for Joe Burrow after he underwent toe surgery.
On the other side is the Steelers, who have enjoyed a strong start to the season with future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers under center. The Steelers have won three straight games and are the road favorites against the Flacco-led Bengals.
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Will the Steelers continue their dominant run in the division, or will the Bengals keep things close in the battle of the veteran quarterbacks? The staff at Newsweek Sports has their predictions.
Ricardo Sandoval: The Steelers sit at the top of the AFC North, a position no one would have imagined they’d be in to start the season. In this primetime matchup, they’ll take on the injury-riddled Bengals. The Steelers are the road favorites in this matchup at -5.5, and I expect them to take care of business in a game that will feature the two oldest quarterbacks in the game.
Prediction: Steelers 23, Bengals 17
Aaron Coloma: The Steelers came off of their bye week with a fairly comfortable win over the Cleveland Browns, and this week’s Thursday night matchup against the Bengals shouldn’t be much different. The Bengals have allowed the third most points in the league, and have failed to impress on offense without Joe Burrow. The Steelers will take this one, and they’ll do so handily.
Prediction: Steelers 34, Bengals 19
Noah Camras: The Steelers could easily run away with the division with a win on Thursday night, as the Baltimore Ravens are floundering without Lamar Jackson and the Cleveland Browns are … well, the Browns. However, the Bengals offense looked better under Flacco last week, and with a little more practice time, they’ll keep this game closer. This game will be a classic AFC North battle, and in the end, it will be Flacco leading a game-winning field goal drive to put his team right back into the playoff race.
prediction: Bengals 20, Steelers 19
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