Bengals WRs Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins Put "Must-Win" Stamp on Sunday's Game vs. Steelers

CINCINNATI – Coaches and players typically shy away from the phrase “must-win,” especially in November.

But Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase went there without hesitation when asked about Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Pittsburgh leads the AFC North at 5-4. The Bengals are two games back at 3-6.

Reporter: If you win, you’re one game out of first. If you lose, you’re three back with seven to go. Does this game have a must-win element to it?

Chase: “Yeah, it’s a must-win if we want to win the AFC (North). Yeah, 100 percent.”

Reporter: Do you approach it any differently because of that?

Chase: “No. You can't approach another game differently because it's a must-win game. You've got to approach every game the same.”

Asked if he agreed with Chase that this is a must-win game, wide receiver Tee Higgins said, “Yeah. For sure.”

Not only would the Bengals only climb within one game of the Steelers for first place, but they would also claim the tiebreaker due to a head-to-sweep and improve to 3-0 in division games for the first time since 2015.

They started 1-4 in division games last year, 0-5 in 2023, 0-3 in 2022, 2-1 in 2021, 0-4 in 2020 and 0-5 in 2019.

Overall in the Zac Taylor era, the Bengals are 15-23 in division games.

“There is a lot of season left,” Higgins said. “If we win this, we've got three more games with the division. We've got to just keep getting to who we are. Definitely it's a must-win. We could be sitting in good shoes.”

Bengals center and captain Ted Karras called it a must-win as well.

Sort of.

“It's always a must win in this league. It always is,” he said. “There’re only 17 games. This isn't MLB. This isn't the NBA. You have 17 chances to decide the fate of your year, and we need to go to Pittsburgh and win.”

Since the AFC North was founded in 2002, only one team has come back from more than two games behind after Week 11.

That was the 2018 Ravens, who were 2.5 back of the Steelers.

Eighteen of the previous 23 division champs were either in sole possession of first or tied for first after Week 11.

Here is where every division champion stood after 11 games:

2024: Ravens (second place, 1.5 games back)

2023: Ravens (first place, 1 game lead)

2022: Bengals (second place, 1 game back)

2021: Bengals (second place, 1 game back)

2020: Steelers (first place, 3 game lead)

2019: Ravens (first place, 3 game lead)

2018: Ravens (second place, 2.5 games back)

2017: Steelers (first place, 3 game lead)

2016: Steelers (tied for first)

2015: Bengals (first, 2 game lead)

2014: Steelers (second, pct points back)

2013: Bengals (first, 2.5 game lead)

2012: Ravens (first, 2 game lead)

2011: Ravens (tied for first)

2010: Steelers (tied for first)

2009: Bengals (first, 1 game lead)

2008: Steelers (first, 1 game lead)

2007: Steelers (first, 1 game lead)

2006: Ravens (first, 3 game lead)

2005: Bengals (tied for first)

2004: Steelers (first, 2 game lead)

2003: Ravens (tied for first)

2002: Steelers (first, half-game lead)