The Cincinnati Bengals are staring down yet another must-win situation — and this time, it comes on short rest. As they prepare for a Thursday night showdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the odds are once again stacked against them.

Vegas has made its stance clear: the Steelers are 5.5-point road favorites with a total set at 42.5, reflecting the widespread belief that Cincinnati’s four-game losing streak is about to stretch to five.

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The Bengals enter this matchup 2-4 both straight-up and against the spread, while the 4-1 Steelers — now led by Aaron Rodgers — are 3-2 ATS and riding high atop the AFC North.

But don’t count Joe Flacco and Zac Taylor’s crew out just yet. Flacco, making his Bengals debut last Sunday, gave the team a much-needed spark, covering the spread and showing glimpses of veteran poise that Cincinnati fans have been dying to see all year.

Head coach Zac Taylor praised his new quarterback’s adaptability and football IQ in the postgame, noting that Flacco’s ability to “make it work and find ways to get balls to our guys” kept the Bengals competitive even as the game spiraled into chaos.

“He knows where to find Ja’Marr [Chase] and Tee [Higgins], whether they were single covered or double covered, he gave them a chance, and it paid off for us. I am not talking about the end of the game. Plenty of our stuff we worked on all week, we executed well, and when you get into a pass-fest, you are trying to get your star guys the ball, and you’re having to adjust to how they are playing.

There are some not complicated things, but things maybe we didn’t rep during the week, and I thought he did a great job of handling it.”

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Now, with the Steelers holding a three-game lead in the AFC North, Cincinnati’s season essentially rides on Thursday night. A loss would all but bury their divisional hopes; a win could flip the script and revive the season’s pulse.

Kickoff is set for 8:15 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime. Expect fireworks, desperation, and maybe — just maybe — a little vintage Joe Flacco magic under the primetime lights.