Bengals beat Ravens 24-16, host Steelers in playoffs

The Bengals (12-4) have so much riding on their quarterback in their edgy playoff rematch on Saturday night in Cincinnati.

Pittsburgh needed some help to get to the wild-card round, which it got it when the Buffalo Bills upset the New York Jets.

CINCINNATI (AP) – AJ McCarron wasn’t at all dismayed at the thought of facing that Steelers defense again. They are 0-6 in their last six attempts, including falling to the Indianapolis Colts 26-10 a year ago. Pittsburgh will keep Blake in the rotation of the cornerback position so that the rest of their corners do not get too exhausted as the game goes on, however the hope is that in that plan, they make every effort to have Blake lined up on other smaller receiving options or bringing heat on a delayed blitz.

The Bengals wrapped up one of their most successful regular seasons in front of 57,254 fans, their smallest crowd of the season at Paul Brown Stadium. He’s 2-1 as a starter since Dalton has been out. They have also scored at least 30 points in seven of those 11 contests.

As the game deteriorated, the defense would allow more than 100 rushing yards for a fifth straight game (145), and Mallett looked obviously frustrated as he constantly badgered his teammates and let himself get irritated by Cincinnati’s trash-talkers. Defensive tackle Geno Atkins picked up his 11th sack.

Meanwhile, the Steelers aren’t ready to rule out running back DeAngelo Williams for Saturday’s game.

BEAT GOES ON: They’re in the 2015 Super Bowl tournament, but the 2016 season is beckoning and according to media reports the Bengals’ franchise is a hot topic on the job market. Practice squad linebacker Trevor Roach took his place on the 53-man roster. Ravens S Will Hill hurt his back in the first half and didn’t return.

This list could begin and end with Mitchell, the seventh-year veteran out of Highlands High School and Ohio University. In the second meeting on December 13, he knocked out Tyler Eifert with a hit to the head that earned him a 15-yard flag and a $23,000 fine. Vontaze Burfict’s interception at the Baltimore 33-yard line set up McCarron’s 5-yard touchdown throw to A.J. Green for a 14-9 lead. While at Alabama playing under Nick Saban, McCarron started in two national championship games, winning both of them, and consistently performed well under pressure. He has to pass the ball frequently because of the Bengals success against the run.

ESPN is reporting that Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton has been seen without his cast on his right hand.

TV: CBS with Jim Nantz (play-by-play), Phil Simms (analyst) and Tracy Wolfson (sideline).

But because the Ravens had been so good on third-down plays in this game, it was especially damaging when Chris Matthews dropped one deep in Bengals territory on the ensuing drive.

The Steelers will have to bring their “A” game for a full 60 minutes on Saturday to shutdown Green and the Bengals weapons, and pay attention to details, not letting anything slip through the cracks.