It certainly doesn't sound like Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers plan to do the Cincinnati Bengals any favors during the critical Week 18 matchup between the two teams.
The Bengals, of course, need to beat the Steelers in order to have a chance to qualify for the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Steelers are already in. But, the Baltimore Ravens play the Cleveland Browns directly before the contest between the Bengals and Steelers, which is set for primetime on Saturday night.
Steelers not planning to rest starters against Cincinnati, regardless of Ravens outcome
If the Ravens win that game, they will win the AFC North. If that occurs, there's been some speculation that the Steelers could look to rest some key contributors against Cincinnati, but that likely won't be the case, as Tomlin revealed that he hasn't given much thought to that possibility and doesn't anticipate taking that route.
#Steelers HC Mike Tomlin said he hasn’t given much thought to resting players if the Ravens win earlier in the day. He added that it’s something he might consider later, but doesn’t anticipate taking that route. https://t.co/letAYKF7g0
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) December 30, 2024
This shouldn't come as much of a surprise, for a couple of reasons. The first one being that the Steelers are currently in the midst of a three-game losing streak, and the game against the Bengals is an opportunity for them to turn things around and gather some momentum prior to postseason play. It's probably safe to assume that the Steelers don't want to go into the playoffs riding a four-game losing streak.
Plus, even though they can't win the division if the Ravens best the Browns (as they should), the Steelers still have something to play for against Cincinnati in terms of playoff positioning. The Steelers have the same record as the Chargers (10-6) heading into the final weekend of the regular season. So, if they lose and the Chargers win, L.A. will surpass Pittsburgh in the standings. Pittsburgh probably wants to be in the best position possible, and a win over Cincinnati would help them in that regard.
So, while it's certainly worth keeping an eye on, it sure seems like the Steelers will be at -- or near -- full-strength when they host Cincinnati on Saturday night.