The Pittsburgh Steelers visit the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday Night Football to kick off Week 7 of the 2025 NFL season. The Steelers are 5-1 and sit near the top of the AFC, while the Bengals are simply trying to tread water while Joe Burrow recovers from a toe injury. Those looking to get into NFL betting can use the latest BetMGM bonus code CBSSPORTS to get $150 in bonus bets if their first wager wins or up to $1,500 in bonus bets if their qualifying wager loses, depending on which state they live in.

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Best NFL bets on Thursday, Oct. 16

Aaron Rodgers has the Steelers off to a 5-1 start, with 10 touchdowns to just three interceptions in five games. Rodgers has produced strong numbers despite Pittsburgh's failure to establish much of a running game, with the team averaging 3.4 yards per carry this season. The Bengals offer a good chance to correct that as Cincinnati allows 135.7 rushing yards per game, which is 28th in the league. On the flip side, the Steelers rank 27th in pass defense so the Bengals could get some explosive plays out of Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to keep this game competitive. Joe Flacco was solid in his Cincinnati debut despite losing to Green Bay, throwing for 219 yards and two touchdowns while only taking one sack. An extra few days of practice should give Flacco even more comfort and playing in front of a home crowd will also help.

The SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates every game 10,000 times, is backing the Steelers are 5.5-point favorites in the latest consensus odds. The Steelers cover in 57% of simulations. However, the model does see value on the Bengals as +206 underdogs. Cincinnati wins this game in 32% of simulations. Wager on Steelers vs. Bengals at BetMGM here:

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