The Bengals look to keep their playoff hopes alive when they travel to Pittsburgh for the regular-season finale on Saturday night. The game kicks off at 8 p.m. on ESPN and Cincinnati's Channel 9.

• Cincinnati Bengals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (Get Tickets)
• Saturday, January 4 at 8:00 p.m. ET
• ABC/ESPN (How to Watch)

Here is what to watch for (click to jump to a story section):

Chase Looks to Close Out Triple Crown

Ja’Marr Chase heads into the final week of the regular season with substantial leads over the rest of the NFL in all three categories that contribute to the acclaimed "Triple Crown." His Bengals-record 117 receptions are eight ahead of Detroit receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (109), who plays Sunday night against Minnesota with the NFC's No. 1 seed on the line. Also suiting up for that matchup will be Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson, whose 1,479 receiving yards are 133 shy of Chase's league-leading 1,612.

Chase's 16 receiving touchdowns are four ahead of both St. Brown and Washington wideout Terry McLaurin (12 each), but finishing the season as the NFL leader isn't his only motivation in that category. With a scoring catch on Saturday night, Chase would tie former receiver Carl Pickens for the Cincinnati single-season record. Pickens grabbed 17 touchdowns in 1995, and no one has come within four of that total until Chase this year.

Should Chase hold his lead through the weekend, he will be the sixth player in the Super Bowl era (1966-present) to claim the Triple Crown. He also would be the youngest to do it, at just under 25 years old.

Chase additionally has five games with 100 or more receiving yards in 2024. If he hits triple digits on Saturday night, he would tie A.J. Green (2013) for the most 100-yard receiving games in a season in Bengals history.

Ja'Marr and Tee Among Top Duos in 2024

Much of the offensive explosion during the Bengals' four-game winning streak has been a result of a versatile attack that features balanced doses of Chase and Tee Higgins. The duo make up two out of three player in the entire league who have 10 touchdown receptions and are averaging over 75 receiving yards per game. The only other player with those numbers is Justin Jefferson.

Chase and Higgins have a chance to become just the sixth receiving tandem since the 1970 NFL/AFL merger to each post 10+ touchdown catches and average 75+ yards per game in a season. The last pair of teammates to accomplish that feat was Green Bay's Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson in 2014.

Chase's 16 scoring grabs lead the NFL, while Higgins' career-high 10 touchdown catches are tied for the fifth-most leaguewide. This is the third time in Bengals history in which two players scored 10 or more receiving touchdowns in the same season. The other instances were A.J. Green (11 touchdowns) and Marvin Jones (10) in 2013, and Green (10) and Tyler Eifert (13) in 2015.

Saturday will be Higgins' 70th regular-season game played. He is 142 receiving yards away from his third career 1,000-yard season. He previously reached that mark in 2021 and 2022.

League Leaders Can Make History

Helping Chase achieve his eye-popping statistical season has been Joe Burrow, who recently was named to his second career Pro Bowl. Burrow's numbers have been equally notable, as he enters the final week leading the NFL in completions (423), passing yards (4,641) and touchdown passes (42). Each of those figures also are a Bengals single-season record.

Should Burrow and Chase's numbers go unconquered in Week 18, the Bengals would be just the second team since the 1970 merger to have the NFL's leader in passing yards, touchdown passes, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. The only team to previously accomplish that was the 1982 San Diego Chargers, who boasted quarterback Dan Fouts and wide receiver Wes Chandler.

On the defensive side, Trey Hendrickson currently is tied with Cleveland end Myles Garrett for the league lead in sacks (14). If Hendrickson can edge out his fellow AFC North pass rusher, along with the rest of the NFL's top sackers, he would become the first Bengals player to lead the league in sacks since it became an official statistic in 1982.

No team has ever had the NFL leader in passing yards, receiving yards and sacks in a single season.

Team Records in Reach

The 2024 Bengals are tracking to set several single-season team records. Here is a look at what is within striking distance as they head up to Pittsburgh:

• Cincinnati has scored 453 total points this season, seven shy of a team-record 460 points in the 2021 campaign.
• Cincinnati has scored 56 total TDs, three shy of a team-record 59 in 1988.
• Cincinnati has 606 passing attempts, 13 shy of a team-record 619 in 2019.
• Cincinnati has 4394 net passing yards, nine shy of a team-record 4403 in 2021.
• Cincinnati has 355 total first downs, six shy of a team-record 361 in 1981.
• Cincinnati has made 50 PATs, six shy of a team-record 56 in 1988.

The Bengals also are averaging a league-best 274.6 net passing yards per game. They are on target to break the team record of 265.0, which was set in the 2022 season. The only time Cincinnati led the NFL in that category was 1975, when Ring of Honor member Ken Anderson and the offense averaged 231.5 net passing yards per contest (14 games).

Steelers Offense

The Steelers have been outscored by 50 points over their past three games, which featured losses to the Philadelphia Eagles, Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs. It's the second time in the last 35 years that they've had a minus-50-point differential or worse in a three-game stretch, and it's the first time Pittsburgh has lost three straight games by at least 14 points since 1988.

Quarterback Russell Wilson threw for the second-most yards of his career against the Bengals in Week 13, tossing for 414, three touchdowns and one interception. On the year, Wilson ranks 19th among QBs with at least 25 dropbacks with a 74.0 PFF-pass grade. Over the last four weeks, though, he ranks 29th with a 62.3 grade. The former third-round pick by the Seahawks has thrown five interceptions this year, but he has four turnovers in the last three games. The Steelers are 8-3 when they win the turnover battle and 2-3 when they lose it.

One of the league's premiere dual-threat QBs during his time in Seattle, Wilson ran for a season-high 55 rushing yards in the team's loss to the Chiefs. Wilson has been sacked 29 times this year, but 10 of those have come in the last three games, including five last week. On the year, the Steelers posted a 61.1 PFF pass-block grade, the ninth lowest in the NFL.

The rushing attack continues to be a two-headed monster of Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. Warren has cleared 60 scrimmage yards eight times this season, including seven times in the last 10 games. He's coming off his best game of the season against the Chiefs where he totaled 112 yards on 16 touches. Pittsburgh has used Warren more over the last few weeks, with nearly a quarter of his rushing yards coming in the last two games.

Harris, meanwhile, cleared 1,000 rushing yards last week and has a top 25 rushing grade among backs with at least 25 carries (78.7).

Wideout George Pickens missed two of the team's last three games with injury, but he returned on Christmas Day against Kansas City. Pickens has been the alpha in the Steelers offense this season, tallying 900 yards and three touchdowns on 58 receptions. He has over 300 more yards than the next-highest Steelers receiver.

It's tight end Pat Freiermuth who paces the team with six receiving touchdowns, followed by Calvin Austin III with four. Freiermuth saw an uptick in usage when Pickens was out, receiving 27 of his 67 targets in the last five weeks. Austin III has been a dependable target for Wilson, dropping just one pass this season. Austin III and Freiermuth both got in the endzone against the Bengals in Week 13.

Steelers Defense

Much like the offense, the Pittsburgh defense has seen a slight decrease in production the last few weeks since the thriller in Cincinnati. The Steelers have allowed at least 25 points in four of their last five games and in three consecutive games for the first time since Weeks 2-4 of 2018.

The trio of T.J. Watt, Cameron Heyward and Alex Highsmith has accounted for 25.5 of the Steelers' 36 sacks this season despite Highsmith missing six games. Nick Herbig has slid in nicely in relief of Highsmith, posting a 92.2 pass-rush grade, the third highest among edge rushers with at least 25 pass-rush snaps per PFF. All four players rank in the top 13 in pass-rush grade this season. Pittsburgh has just four sacks in its last three games, though, with Highsmith accounting for two of those four.

The Steelers currently have the eighth-highest PFF run-defense grade (73.3) and have allowed 4.1 yards per carry, the fourth fewest in the league. Watt and Heyward have combined for 31 of the team's 77 tackles for loss this season. Last time these two teams played, Chase Brown averaged 5.8 yards per carry and added three catches for 100 total yards from scrimmage.

Through the air, Pittsburgh is coming off a performance where they allowed Patrick Mahomes to toss for 320 yards, three touchdowns and gain 16 of the team's 20 with his arm. Mahomes, Jalen Hurts and Lamar Jackson posted at least a 115-passer rating in the last three weeks against the Steelers. In Week 13, Joe Burrow tossed for 309 yards and three scores.

On the year, Pittsburgh has allowed 3,874 yards passing, the ninth-most in the NFL, and have a 57.6 team coverage grade, the 10th worst.

Chris Boswell has averaged 9.6 points per game this season and has drilled 40-of-43 field goal attempts. Pittsburgh's 87.9 PFF special teams grade ranks sixth in the NFL.

Injury Report

Check out the Bengals 2024 Schedule.