Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (1) during the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin on Oct. 12, 2025.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have taken control of the AFC North early in the 2025 NFL season. They will have a chance to build upon their lead in a Week 7 "Thursday Night Football" matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Steelers (4-1) have performed well across their first five games. Aaron Rodgers has performed efficiently at quarterback, building a strong connection with DK Metcalf, while Pittsburgh's defense has rounded into form after an atypically slow start to the season.

Meanwhile, the Bengals (2-4) have sputtered badly since starting quarterback Joe Burrow suffered a severe turf toe injury in Week 2 of the 2025 NFL season. Cincinnati has lost four consecutive games and traded for 40-year-old veteran quarterback Joe Flacco in the hopes the Super Bowl 47 winner could provide them a spark Jake Browning could not.

Aside from its quarterback problems, Cincinnati has continued to be hampered by issues that have plagued it since its run to Super Bowl 56. The Bengals' offensive line has struggled to generate any push, rendering their offense pass-heavy. Meanwhile, their defense has been porous, ranking fourth-worst in defensive EPA per play entering Week 7.

Will the Bengals be able to button up their issues on the short week and close the gap between themselves and the Steelers? Here's what to know about the Cincinnati vs. Pittsburgh "Thursday Night Football" matchup for NFL Week 7 and how to watch it.

What time does Bengals-Steelers NFL game start?

The Bengals vs. Steelers game will kick off at 8:15 p.m. ET on Thursday, Oct. 16. It will be the fourth consecutive divisional matchup featured on "Thursday Night Football". It will be played at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio.

What channel is Cincinnati Bengals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers on tonight?

Amazon Prime owns the NFL's "Thursday Night Football" broadcast package. As such, the streaming giant will carry the Bengals vs. Steelers matchup for Week 7 and will feature its usual broadcast crew of Al Michaels (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (game analyst) and Kaylee Hartung (sideline reporter) on the call.

NFL fans watching Thursday's game nationally will need to have an Amazon Prime subscription to access it. However, the league has a deal in place with the streaming service that allows those in the Cincinnati and Pittsburgh markets to watch a simulcast of the game on local TV stations without a Prime Video subscription.

Below is a look at the channels that will air the Cincinnati vs. Pittsburgh matchup:

  • Cincinnati: WCPO (ABC 9)
  • Pittsburgh: WTAE (ABC 4)

Watch "Thursday Night Football" with a Prime Video subscription

2025 Cincinnati Bengals schedule

Cincinnati Bengals record 2025

  • Cincinnati Bengals: 2-4; second in AFC North.

2025 Pittsburgh Steelers schedule

Pittsburgh Steelers record 2025

  • Pittsburgh Steelers: 4-1; first place in AFC North.

2025 NFL team schedules: complete team-by-team schedule of games

  • AFC East: Buffalo Bills − Schedule | Miami Dolphins − Schedule | New England Patriots − Schedule | New York Jets − Schedule
  • AFC North: Baltimore Ravens − Schedule | Cincinnati Bengals − Schedule | Cleveland Browns − Schedule | Pittsburgh Steelers − Schedule
  • AFC South: Houston Texans − Schedule | Indianapolis Colts − Schedule | Jacksonville Jaguars − Schedule | Tennessee Titans − Schedule
  • AFC West: Denver Broncos − Schedule | Kansas City Chiefs − Schedule | Las Vegas Raiders − Schedule | Los Angeles Chargers − Schedule
  • NFC East: Dallas Cowboys − Schedule | New York Giants − Schedule | Philadelphia Eagles − Schedule | Washington Commanders − Schedule
  • NFC North: Chicago Bears − Schedule | Detroit Lions − Schedule | Green Bay Packers − Schedule | Minnesota Vikings − Schedule
  • NFC South: Atlanta Falcons − Schedule | Carolina Panthers − Schedule | New Orleans Saints − Schedule | Tampa Bay Buccaneers − Schedule
  • NFC West: Arizona Cardinals − Schedule | Los Angeles Rams − Schedule | San Francisco 49ers − Schedule | Seattle Seahawks − Schedule

Complete 2025 NFL regular season schedule: every team's games, week-by-week

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What channel is Bengals vs Steelers Thursday Night Football? Start time, schedule, stream

Reporting by Jacob Camenker, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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