For potentially the final time in the 2024 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers are gearing up for a pivotal home playoff game at Acrisure Stadium against the Cincinnati Bengals Saturday night at 8 PM/ET
The Steelers could find themselves out of the AFC North division title race before kickoff with the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns playing before them, but there will still be quite a bit on the line for the Steelers, who need a win to get back on track, and solidify their seeding in the AFC playoffs.
To do that, they’ll need some key pieces on both sides of the football to step up and make some big-time plays.
There will be games within the game to watch, like the turnover battle, tackling battle and more. Make sure to keep an eye on key individual matchups, too. There are plenty of them this week from top to bottom in all three phases for the Steelers against the Bengals.
Below are my four matchups to watch on Saturday night.
STEELERS OLB ALEX HIGHSMITH VS. BENGALS LT ORLANDO BROWN JR.
The last time the Steelers and Bengals matched up in Week 13, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin made it a point of emphasis that second-year OLB Nick Herbig — starting in place of the injured Alex Highsmith — needed to make plays and win the matchup against Orlando Brown Jr. Herbig made some big plays, including a strip-sack that led to a Payton Wilson touchdown.
Now, Highsmith is back healthy and gets a crack at Brown, a player he’s had success against in his career. Last season, Highsmith had 10 pressures and a sack in two games against the Bengals, with the Week 16 matchup last season garnering his highest grade of the year from Pro Football Focus (91.9).
With the attention paid to T.J. Watt, Highsmith needs to wreck the game and do so against a tackle in Brown who is admittedly playing on one leg.
STEELERS LT DAN MOORE JR. VS. BENGALS DE TREY HENDRICKSON
Just as Alex Highsmith and Orlando Brown Jr. is a key matchup for the Steelers defensively, so too is the matchup between left tackle Dan Moore Jr. and defensive end Trey Hendrickson on offense. Moore finds himself in a major rut in pass protection, having allowed eight of his 10 sacks since Week 11. He’s also allowed 25 of his 37 pressures during that same span, coming apart down the stretch.
Now, he’ll have to deal with Hendrickson, who is tied for the league lead in sacks with 14.0. He’s a high-effort, high-energy guy who is relentless. Fortunately for Moore, he had success against Hendrickson earlier in the season, allowing just two pressures and no sacks in the Week 13 matchup.
Without Sam Hubbard opposite him, Hendrickson has to carry a greater load as a pass rusher. The Steelers need to be able to slow him down again and lessen his impact. Doing so will go a long way for the Steelers’ offense.
BENGALS WR TEE HIGGINS VS. STEELERS CB JOEY PORTER JR.
It appears that the Steelers will be running things back defensively in the same fashion they did in Week 13, putting Joey Porter Jr. on Tee Higgins, matching physicality with physicality. In the last matchup, Porter really struggled against Higgins, getting called for six penalties. He couldn’t do much of anything right, using up his six fouls like defenders did against Shaquille O’Neal in the NBA.
He’s learned from that game and has been called for just one penalty since, according to Pro Football Focus. He’ll need to be much better than he was last time as Higgins is on a heater, coming off an 11-reception, 131-yard, three-TD performance in Week 17. Though he’s officially questionable entering Saturday night, it’s very likely Higgins plays and has a big impact.
Porter needs to show he can play against a guy like Higgins. It’s a pivotal matchup within the game.
BENGALS CB MIKE HILTON VS. STEELERS WR CALVIN AUSTIN III
The Steelers’ passing game revolves around George Pickens, that much is known. With him back in the lineup and in a pivotal matchup, he’s going to get quite a few looks. The last time he played the Bengals at Acrisure Stadium, he went off for four catches, 195 yards and two touchdowns in Week 16 last season.
The Steelers will need something similar on Saturday night. But they also need Calvin Austin III to dominate his matchup in the slot with former Steelers cornerback Mike Hilton. In the Week 13, Austin had two receptions for 29 yards and a touchdown, but the Steelers will need even more from him in the matchup with Hilton.
Austin has emerged as a legitimate play-making receiver, one who can stretch the field and time and time again finds a way to make big plays. That has to be the case on Saturday for the Steelers’ offense. If Austin can make some big plays in the matchup with Hilton, the Steelers should have a real advantage offensively once again.
