When it comes to AFC North football in January, you can almost guarantee the weather will play some sort of factor. Earlier in the season, we witnessed the Pittsburgh Steelers experience 90 minutes of rain delays against the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football and later watched Mike Tomlin's team play during blizzard-like conditions in Cleveland.
Ironically, the Steelers lost both of these treacherous weather contests. Now Pittsburgh is gearing up for their final game of the 2024 regular season as they host the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 18, and the weather could once again play a factor.
The first time around, the Steelers narrowly topped the Bengals in a high-scoring 44-38 shootout that included over 700 combined yards through the air. This time around, passing the ball could be more difficult.
Steelers could have a hard time passing the ball in breezy conditions vs. Bengals
While Pittsburgh was in the midst of a winter weather advisory on Friday, things are expected to clear up for the Steelers Saturday night contest against the Bengals. By kickoff, there will be just a three percent chance of precipitation with 100 percent cloud cover.
However, the breezy conditions and swirling winds could play a factor. According to AccuWeather.com, there will be 29-mile-per-hour wind gusts in Pittsburgh accompanied by 15 mph sustained western winds.
While this doesn't exactly create treacherous weather conditions in Week 18 for the Steelers and Bengals, it could impact the game plan for both teams in the season finale. Passing the ball is the bread and butter of the Bengals offense, as Cincinnati has the top-ranked passing offense heading into the final week of the season.
Meanwhile, the Steelers were able to get past the Bengals in their first head-to-head matchup largely because Russell Wilson managed to sling the pigskin for 414 yards—which ultimately was accompanied by 44 points by the offense.
If the breezy conditions make things difficult for the Steelers through the air, Pittsburgh may have to rely on a rushing attack that has been extremely underwhelming since the bye week.
The Steelers will know by kickoff whether they've got a chance to claim the AFC North crown. If the Ravens somehow squander their game against the Browns, all Pittsburgh would need to do is beat the Ravens to win the division and claim the No. 3 seed in the AFC Playoffs. Even if the Ravens win, the Steelers will still be playing for seeding and arguably the easiest Wild Card matchup against the Houston Texans.
The Bengals, meanwhile, need a win over the Steelers plus losses from both the Dolphins and Broncos this week to sneak into the postseason. We will find out what type of impact the weather will have on the Steelers' final home game of the season in Week 18.