A First for Burrow: Primetime at Paycor Against the AFC North

The Cincinnati Bengals will host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football this week, with first place in the AFC North on the line at Paycor Stadium. Both teams enter the 8:20 p.m. kickoff at 6-2, and the national window is a fitting stage for a rivalry that already produced a 30-27 Steelers victory in Week 3.

After seven seasons, it would be easy to assume this is not new ground for Joe Burrow. He has started primetime games at Paycor Stadium before, and he has faced the Steelers, Ravens and Browns at home throughout his career. Those division games have come in the afternoon though, and Sunday will mark his first regular-season primetime home game against a division opponent.

The closest thing to a precedent came in the playoffs. On Jan. 15, 2023, Burrow started a Sunday Night Football Wild Card game against the Baltimore Ravens at Paycor Stadium, and Cincinnati won 24-17. That remains the only primetime home meeting with an AFC North rival in which he has taken a snap. It just did not come in the regular season.

The regular-season opportunities have been scarce, and the ones that did arrive came when Burrow could not play. On Dec. 21, 2020, the Bengals hosted the Steelers on Monday Night Football, but Burrow was already out for the year after a season-ending knee injury. Ryan Finley started in his place, and Cincinnati still won 27-17. 

Nearly five years later, the Steelers returned to Paycor Stadium for Thursday Night Football on Oct. 16, 2025. Burrow was sidelined again, this time with a toe injury, and Joe Flacco led the Bengals to a 33-31 victory. Cincinnati has won both of those home primetime meetings with Pittsburgh, just without its starting quarterback. 

Even a scheduled Thursday night home game against the Cleveland Browns in December 2024 did not give him the moment, as the NFL moved it to Sunday afternoon.

That leaves Sunday as the first time Burrow will start a regular-season primetime game at home against the division, and it could not come at a better time. The Bengals and Steelers are both 6-2 and tied for first place, and the winner will take sole possession of the AFC North lead. 

If Burrow continues the form that has produced a league-leading 23 touchdown passes and carried Cincinnati through a four-game winning streak, this is the kind of night that can define a season. Now, he has an opportunity to do it under the lights, in front of his own crowd, with first place on the line.