Chris Carter of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, hosts the Locked on Steelers podcast, and is joined by James Rapien of Locked on Bengals for Crossover Thursday.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals have suffered several key injuries all season, and that will be the story of their big game Saturday. Could Kenny Pickett return? After practicing Tuesday, it's a good sign of his progress, while the Bengals look like they'll be missing Ja'Marr Chase. But since their last meeting when the Steelers won, the Bengals have gone 3-0 while the Steelers have gone 0-3. Can the Steelers turn things around with both teams facing key injuries?

The Bengals are also missing a key run defender in DJ Reader, which could open up the ground game again for Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. But it hasn't mattered who the Steelers have faced the past few games, as the run game has floundered in recent weeks. Can that be the matchup that saves the Steelers?

Also, Chris Carter and James Rapien talk about the biggest matchups to watch for Saturday.

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Follow Chris Carter on Twitter: @CarterCritiques.

Theme music is 'Soul Kick' by Ceddy P, and 'Too Easy' by Nerdboy. Both from their label Renaissance Music. Find more from their label here.

This show is part of the Locked on Podcast Network.

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