It all comes down to tonight for the Cincinnati Bengals. With a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati will keep its playoff hopes alive, for another day at least. But, with a loss, the offseason will officially begin for the Bengals.
(Remember, if the Bengals are able to beat the Steelers, they'll still need the Kansas City Chiefs to beat the Denver Broncos and the New York Jets to beat the Miami Dolphins on Sunday).
Tonight's game against Pittsburgh will be the fifth primetime road game of the season for the Bengals, which is the most for one team in a single season in NFL history. Four of those primetime road games have come since Week 10, too, which makes the gauntlet even tougher.
Nonetheless, the Bengals are riding a four-game win streak heading into Week 18, and they've been playing their best football of the season over the past month. Their last loss came against the Steelers on Dec. 1. Now, they get a shot at revenge in a game with major playoff implications on the line.
The Steelers, meanwhile, have already secured a spot in the playoffs, but they've lost three straight games to quality opponents after a 10-3 start to the season, and they'll be looking to right the ship prior to postseason play.
As is the case every week, both teams had to list some players on their respective inactive repots. Below you'll find the full list of inactive players for both the Bengals and Steelers ahead of their Week 18 clash.
Cincinnati Bengals full inactive list for Week 18 vs. Steelers
Unfortunately for the Bengals, they'll be without a key contributor for the contest, as starting running back Chase Brown has been ruled out of the game due to an ankle injury he suffered in Week 17. In addition to Brown, the team also listed six other players as inactive. Here's the full list:
- WR Charlie Jones
- HB Chase Brown
- DE Isaiah Thomas
- OT Andrew Stueber
- WR Jermaine Burton
- TE Tanner McLachlan
- DE Sam Hubbard
Pittsburgh Steelers full Week 18 inactive list
Pittsburgh listed five players as inactive against Cincinnati, including three defensive players. Here's the list:
- QB Kyle Allen (Emergency Third QB)
- WR Scott Miller
- CB Donte Jackson
- DE Isaiahh Loudermilk
- DE Dean Lowry