The Pittsburgh Steelers officially close out their 2024-25 season with a 10-7 record, falling to the Cincinnati Bengals 19-17 after a promising fourth quarter to keep Cincy’s playoff hopes alive.

The game was rough from the jump, as the Bengals received the opening kickoff, driving 73 yards down the field and punctuating it all with a 12-yard score from Burrow to star wideout Ja’Marr Chase. The Steelers answered with a punt, officially cementing their status as holding the second-longest streak in the NFL (19 games) without an opening-drive touchdown. After that, it was punt Steelers and field goal Bengals before the Steelers managed their first score of the game.

… It was all downhill from there, though. The Steelers entered halftime down 13-7, which didn’t feel so bad compared to what it could have been based on the play on the field. However, they never managed to catch up. The Bengals managed a field goal in the third quarter and another in the fourth to make it 19-7.

Things heated up halfway through the fourth quarter, as Wilson managed a 19-yard passing touchdown to TE Pat Freiermuth and a drive resulting in a 54-yard field goal from Chris Boswell to follow to bring it within two points… but it was all for naught. After a stunning stop against the Bengals, down two points with just two minutes left to go in the fourth quarter, Pittsburgh’s offense came up short, driving just 16 yards before stalling out on fourth-and-12. End game. Bengals win.

With Week 18’s loss, the Steelers are now most likely headed to Baltimore for the Wild Card Round for their second meeting in the last month, having just fallen 34-17 to the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium in Week 16. Pittsburgh enters the postseason as the likely No. 6 seed.

Their final hope of clinching the No. 5 seed for a trip to Houston lies with the Los Angeles Chargers’ chances against the 4-12 Las Vegas Raiders. If the Raiders can pull off an upset, the Steelers will travel to face another crumbling franchise just ahead of the playoffs — perhaps resulting in their first playoff win since the 2016 season. The only question is … does that win mean much if it’s a one and done?