Why Bengals-Steelers is the biggest game at Paycor Stadium in years

Paycor Stadium hasn't seen a game like this coming weekend's Cincinnati Bengals-Pittsburgh Steelers AFC North showdown in quite some time. Pretty much every NFL game is "big" and important to some degree, but over the last three years, "big" in Cincinnati has taken the shape of the Bengals dropping their most-anticipated contests. Or they're fighting to climb back into the AFC playoff picture after a slow start. On Sunday, Nov. 16, the Bengals host the Steelers in what could be one of the most-anticipated games in Paycor Stadium history: A Week 10, Sunday Night Football , primetime affair between two 6-2 rivals with first place in the AFC North on the line. Suffice it to say games of this magnitude have been rare during the Cincinnati's three-season playoff drought. "This is as big of a game as we've had here for a while," Burrow said. "We lost to them early in the season. So number one, with the standings at the end of the year, you want that to be split. And number two, for first place outright. And so, like you said, huge game." The Steelers on Sept. 27 narrowly defeated the Bengals at Acrisure Stadium, 30-27, and forced a turnover on Cincinnati's final drive to avoid overtime, or worse. When's the last time the Bengals hosted a game of this relative magnitude at Paycor Stadium? Let's see. Does last season's Nov. 2 loss to the Chicago Bears meet that standard? The Bengals were 3-5 entering the game and 3-6 afterward. Most of the games after that point became about draft order. How about the 2024 season? In Week 17 that year, Cincinnati beat the Denver Broncos in overtime. But the win only brought the late-charging Bengals back to .500 at 8-8. They finished the year at 9-8 but were always a longshot to reach the postseason after a slow start to the season. Realistically, you're reaching back to the 2022 season to find anything comparable to the next edition of Bengals-Steelers. The teams' second meeting of 2026 has several characteristics that could make it a classic, too. There's the Aaron Rodgers-versus-Burrow quarterback matchup, to the primetime TV time slot, to the weather as some forecasts call for temperatures to drop below 40F as the game progresses. Burrow contended one win wouldn't decide the outcome of the AFC North, but breaking the Bengals-Steelers deadlock atop the division could actually be very determinative. Looking beyond this game, Cincinnati has just three games remaining against teams that currently have a winning record (two games against the Cleveland Browns (5-4), one against Kansas City Chiefs (6-2). The Steelers have two games against winning teams left on the schedule following their trip to Cincinnati (Denver Broncos (7-2), Jacksonville Jaguars (6-2). That being said, neither team can afford to take anyone likely, including the teams with losing records. The winless Tennessee Titans took Cincinnati to overtime on Nov. 1, which wasn't expected by many. The Steelers also have their entire season series against the Ravens still to come, and both Cincinnati and Pittsburgh still have the NFC South-leading, playoff tested Carolina Panthers (3-6) still to come. This weekend might not be the deciding factor in the AFC North race, but it's certain to set the stage for the rest of the season. "It's exciting, but one game's not going to determine it, and six or seven wins isn't going to get you to where you want to be," Burrow said. "So, long season left. It's a big game this week, but next week is a big game too and the week after that and the week after that. So, we're just focused on this one and trying to make this one a win and go from there."