It's a postseason rubber match between two division rivals that hate each other. Music to everyone's ears. Until they realize that one team could be missing a quarterback, the other a running back, and the league told the two teams to watch the chippiness, that is. Yeah, doesn't sound as fun anymore. Still, a game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers always has the potential to be a thriller.
Dalton Likely Out
When these two teams met in Week 14, Andy Dalton left the game with a broken thumb after making a tackle on an interception. Dalton would not play in any games for the rest of the regular season. Head coach Marvin Lewis addressed his team's quarterback situation. According to Lewis, Dalton's cast is off of his thumb but the team is still preparing for A.J. McCarron to be the starter. McCarron went 2-1 in his three starts and played well, but he did turn the ball over twice against the Steelers in three quarters of the Week 14 game.
Williams Not Expected to Play
DeAngelo Williams went down in the team's Week 17 victory with an ankle injury. After the game, ESPN's Josina Anderson spotted Williams in a walking boot. According to head coach Mike Tomlin, the 32 year-old back is "day-to-day", but it seems like Williams will be a no-go. Unlike last year, though, the team does not seem interested in signing a running back. Instead, Tomlin said the team is preparing for Fitzgerald Toussaint and Jordan Todman to handle the ball carrying duties on Saturday. For the second straight season, Pittsburgh will likely play a divisional rival in the playoffs without their starting running back.
NFL Warns Teams
According to Bleacher Report's Mike Freeman, the league office warned the teams to not get involved in any pregame conflicts this time, a rule that they didn't listen to in Week 14. There was a lot of trash talk during and after that game, to say the least. Adam "Pacman" Jones went on an NSFW rant regarding the Steelers. Steelers' tackle Marcus Gilbert said that he wanted to matchup with the Bengals in the playoffs, and proceeded to call them chokers. There is no doubt that these teams will get at each others' throats, the league just doesn't want it to go down before the game again.