Steelers will try to stay on top of the AFC North when they face the Bengals in Cincy

CINCINNATI (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers had stacked up five straight wins and pulled ahead in the race for the AFC North before letting one slip away to the lowly Browns on a snowy Thursday night in Cleveland.

The Steelers have a chance to get back on track Sunday against the reeling Bengals (4-7), whose own playoff hopes are dwindling.

“It’s a huge game — every game from here on out, especially since it’s an AFC North game, Bengals, one of our rivals," said Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith, who hopes to play after missing the past two games with an ankle injury. “It’s our first game against them this year, but just to bounce back after a loss is just going to be huge for us."

Pittsburgh (8-3) is still in first place in the division by a half game over the Baltimore Ravens, whom the Steelers have to face again on the Saturday before Christmas. The Steelers downed Baltimore 18-16 on Nov. 17, a week before their stumble in Cleveland.

For the Bengals, a loss to Pittsburgh on Sunday will all but end their chances of returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2022. Cincinnati has blown leads and struggled to finish close games, losing three of its past four.

“It’s December football,” Cincinnati coach Zac Taylor said. “This is where it means something. Regardless of what our record is right now, you need to play your best football in December. Now more than ever we’re going to need that from our guys. And they understand that.”

The Bengals' 4-7 record belies the fact that some of their players are putting up NFL-best numbers.

Entering Week 13, quarterback Joe Burrow is among the league leaders in completions (274), passing yards (3,028) and touchdowns (27). Burrow has expressed his frustration in recent weeks over the team's inability to close out opponents.

Star wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase is leading the NFL in yards receiving (1,056), yards after the catch (481) and touchdowns (12) going into Week 13. Edge rusher Trey Hendrickson is leading the league with 11 1/2 sacks.

The Steelers have raised some eyebrows recently by having Justin Fields take over for Russell Wilson during certain game situations, with mixed results.

Fields helped seal a victory over Baltimore two weeks ago by running for an 8-yard gain on Pittsburgh’s final drive. Fields was also behind center on Pittsburgh’s penultimate possession in Cleveland and threw incomplete down the sideline on third down — his first pass in more than a month — that gave the ball back to the Browns, who then drove for the winning score.

Bengals kicker Evan McPherson, who picked up the nickname “Money Mac” for his reliability in his first three seasons, is slumping badly and worked during the bye week trying to figure it out.

McPherson missed two field goals in the final eight minutes that would have given the Bengals the lead in the 34-27 loss to the Chargers Nov. 17. For the season, he's made 15 of 21 field-goal attempts for a 71.4% rate, which ranks near the bottom of the league. He's 3 of 5 in attempts of 40 to 50 yards, and 3 for 7 from beyond 50.

The AFC North is getting the in-season “Hard Knocks” treatment in a first-of-its-kind production that will focus on all four teams in the division rather than just one.

That includes the Steelers, who have avoided being featured in the documentary institution since its inception in 2001. Camera crews arrived in Pittsburgh on Halloween to start gathering footage for the series, and coach Mike Tomlin is treating their presence the same way he treats just about everything else: as a competition.

“To me, it’s something to conquer to be quite honest with you,” the NFL’s longest-tenured coach said. “We have to deal with it better than the other three teams. That’s how I view a lot of things that come across my plate, particularly when others have to deal with it."

The first episode of “Hard Knocks: In Season” debuts on Tuesday night.

AP Sports Writer Will Graves contributed.

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Cincinnati Bengals place kicker Evan McPherson (2) lowers his head after missing on a field goal attempt during the second half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) throws a pass under pressure from Los Angeles Chargers defensive end Morgan Fox (56) during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (1) reaches but cannot make a catch in front of Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Tarheeb Still (29) during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (14) reacts after missing a pass in the second half of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Cleveland. The Browns won 24-19. (AP Photo/David Richard)

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson throws a Hail Mary pass on the final play of the game in the second half of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Cleveland. The Browns won 24-19. (AP Photo/David Richard)

Cleveland (3-8) at Denver (7-5)

Monday, 8:15 EST, ESPN.

BetMGM NFL Odds: Broncos by 5 1/2.

Against the spread: Browns 4-7; Broncos 9-3.

Series record: Broncos lead 25-7.

Last meeting: Broncos beat Browns 29-12 on Nov. 26, 2023, in Denver.

Last week: Browns beat Steelers 24-19; Broncos beat Raiders 29-19.

Browns offense: overall (29), rush (29)), pass (21), scoring (30)

Browns defense: overall (21), rush (24), pass (T-15), scoring (22)

Broncos offense: overall (23), rush (23), pass (22), scoring (22)

Broncos defense: overall (3), rush (6), pass (9), scoring (3)

Turnover differential: Browns minus-7 ; Broncos plus-2.

WR Jerry Jeudy. He returns to Denver, where he was a first-round draft pick in 2020 and mostly a disappointment before being traded to the Browns in March and signing a three-year, $58 million extension. Jeudy’s been on a nice roll, catching 19 passes in his past three games while developing chemistry with QB Jameis Winston. Jeudy is averaging 94.8 yards per game since Week 8.

WR Courtland Sutton. He's come on strong with five consecutive games of 70-plus receiving yards and last week posted his first career game with multiple touchdown catches when he caught a pair of TD throws from surging rookie QB Bo Nix. Rookie wide receivers Devaughn Vele and Troy Franklin are also coming on strong, but Sutton is Nix's safety valve whenever Denver needs a big play.

Browns CB Denzel Ward vs. Sutton. A three-time Pro Bowler, Ward may be having his best season as a pro and leads the league with 17 passes defensed. As always, he'll be given the toughest assignment and this week's that's Sutton, who has 36 catches and 467 yards in his past five games.

Browns: WR Cedric Tillman is still in concussion protocol after getting hurt against the Steelers. ... LT Jedrick Wills Jr. (knee) has missed the past two games and didn't practice through Friday. ... LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (neck) has another week on injured reserve before he's eligible to return. The team has given no specifics on a timeline. ... S Juan Thornhill (calf) got hurt in practice on Monday and could be limited or out.

Broncos: DE Zach Allen is dealing with a heel injury that kept him out last week and CB Riley Moss is dealing with a knee injury he sustained against the Raiders last week.

The Broncos have dominated the series and delivered two of Cleveland’s most painful sports moments with “The Fumble” and “The Drive” in consecutive AFC championship games in the late 80s. ... The Browns are 1-7 in their past eight visits to the Mile High City. ... Denver won 11 straight regular-season games over Cleveland from 1991-2015.

The Browns are coming in well rested after having not played since beating the Steelers in the snow last Thursday. ... While Cleveland's playoff hopes are infinitesimal, the team has a chance to play spoiler down the stretch. ... Winston has gone 2-2 as a starter since replacing Deshaun Watson, who suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon tear on Oct. 20. ... Winston has averaged 295.8 yards passing since Week 8, second only to Cincinnati's Joe Burrow (317.3). ... Winston credits his time with Broncos coach Sean Payton in New Orleans as pivotal in his growth as a player. ... RB Nick Chubb had two short TD runs in his first game against the Steelers since injuring his knee in Pittsburgh last season. ... DE Myles Garrett boosted his chances of repeating as the AP Defensive Player of the Year after a dominant performance against the Steelers — three sacks, including a strip-sack while outplaying friendly rival T.J. Watt. ... Garrett is just 1 1/2 sacks shy of 100 for his career. ... Garrett is the only NFL player to have at least 10 sacks in each of the past seven seasons. He's also on an illustrious list of players to do it, joining Lawrence Taylor (1984-90) Reggie White (1985-93), Bruce Smith (1992-98), John Randle (1992-99) DeMarcus Ware (2006-12) and Jared Allen (2007-13). All but Allen are Hall of Famers. ... Ward leads the NFL with 17 passes defensed. ... Cleveland is 18-19 on Monday night. ... The Broncos are two games above .500 for the first time since starting out the 2021 season with three victories under Vic Fangio. ... QB Bo Nix's 16 touchdown throws are a team rookie record. ... Last weekend Nix became the 14th rookie in NFL history to have three consecutive games with more than 200 yards passing and multiple touchdown throws. Texans QB CJ Stroud accomplished the feat last season. ... K Wil Lutz scored a career-high 17 points in Denver’s 29-19 win at Las Vegas last week, nailing all five of his field goals (a career best) and both extra points. He kicked two 50-plus-yard field goals in a game for the first time in his nine-year career. ... Lutz became the fifth Denver player to be AFC player of the week. He also won the special teams honor in Week 3. ... The Broncos' 44 sacks are the most by the team through 12 games since 1986 (47 sacks). ... DE Nik Bonitto has 10 sacks, making him the first Denver defender to have double digits in QB takedowns since Bradley Chubb (12) and Von Miller (14 1/2) did it in 2018.

Broncos defense. Denver is ranked in the top seven in four major defensive categories, and the Broncos have allowed fewer than 20 points eight times this season. The Browns have scored 20 points or more just twice this season.

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Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton (14) pulls in a touchdown pass against the Las Vegas Raiders during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (3) rushes in the first half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)