Wide receiver Antonio Brown — whom Bengals defensive coordinator Paul Guenther called "Public Enemy No. 1 on their offense for us" — finished tied for the NFL lead in receptions with 136 (Atlanta's Julio Jones) and second in receiving yards with 1,834.
Bengals-Steelers connections
Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis grew up in McDonald, Pa., near Pittsburgh. Lewis’ first NFL coaching job was with the Steelers as LBs coach from 1992-95 under Bill Cowher. He also coached at the University of Pittsburgh from 1990-91. … Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was defensive backs coach for the University of Cincinnati from 1999-2000. … Steelers inside linebackers coach Jerry Olsavsky was with the Bengals as a player in the 1998 preseason. … Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger played at Miami University. … Steelers LB James Harrison played for the Bengals in 2013. … Steelers QB Bruce Gradkowski (reserved/injured) played for the Bengals from 2011-12. … Steelers S Will Allen is from Dayton (Wayne High School). … Steelers FB Will Johnson is from Dayton (Centerville). … Steelers S Mike Mitchell is from Fort Thomas, Ky. (Highlands). … Bengals LB Chris Carter played for the Steelers from 2011-13. … Bengals DE Will Clarke is from Pittsburgh. … Bengals defensive line coach Jay Hayes and Bengals tight ends coach Jonathan Hayes are brothers who grew up in South Fayette, Pa. Jonathan Hayes played TE for the Steelers from 1994-96, and Jay Hayes was on the Steelers coaching staff from ’99-01. … Bengals offensive quality control/assistant offensive line coach Brian Braswell worked with the Steelers prior to the 2010 season as part of the NFL’s Bill Walsh Minority Internship coaching program. … Steelers linebacker L.J. Fort was with the Bengals from January to April this year.
AFC outlook
No. 4 Houston (9-7) vs. No. 5 Kansas City (11-5) Saturday: The Texans have never lost a home playoff game game. They are 2-0 with both wins coming against the Bengals in 2011 and 2012.
The Chiefs are the 10th team in NFL history to finish the regular season with a 10-game winning streak, but three of the last four to do it (2012 Broncos, 2009 Chargers, 2006 Chargers) lost their first playoff game.
No. 1 Denver (12-4) bye: The Broncos are the No. 1 seed for the third time in four years and have a first-round bye for the fourth consecutive year.
No. 2 New England (12-4) bye: The Patriots are in the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season, and they have had a first-round bye in six of them.
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