Why Troy Polamalu, Ike Taylor Injuries Could Swing AFC North Race Sunday Night

On Sunday night, the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers will face off in what should be a fitting sendoff to the 2014 NFL regular season.

While both teams have already qualified for the playoffs, there is plenty at stake in the regular-season finale. The winner of Sunday night's game will claim the AFC North title and host a playoff to begin the postseason.

The loser will claim the AFC's No. 5 seed and travel to face the Indianapolis Colts.

Neither the Steelers nor the Bengals have been consistently dominant this season, but both teams are heating up at the right time and could use one more victory to spark a strong playoff run.

On paper, this appears to be a fairly even matchup. Both teams have 10 wins and have won four of their past five games. The Bengals are ranked 15th in scoring offense (23.2 points per game) and 10th in scoring defense (21.1 points allowed per game). The Steelers rank seventh offensively (27.3 points per game) and 19th defensively (23.4 points allowed per game).

The last time these two teams met, in Cincinnati, the Bengals held a 21-17 lead heading into the fourth quarter. However, Pittsburgh scored 25 unanswered points in the final period to earn a 42-21 victory.

Sunday's matchup is shaping up to be another game that will remain close for much of the contest. As is often the case, key injuries could determine the final outcome.

Date	Winner	Loser
12/07/2014	Pittsburgh 42	Cincinnati 21
12/15/2013	Pittsburgh 30	Cincinnati 20
09/16/2013	Cincinnati 20	Pittsburgh 10
12/23/2012	Cincinnati 13	Pittsburgh 10
10/21/2012	Pittsburgh 24	Cincinnati 17
12/04/2011	Pittsburgh 35	Cincinnati 7

While the Bengals are dealing with a number of illnesses in their locker room, the Steelers have a couple of notable injuries that could have a major impact on Sunday's game.

According to Ralph N. Paulk of TribLive.com, strong safety Troy Polamalu and cornerback Ike Taylor are both listed as questionable for Sunday. Neither player appeared in last week's 20-12 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.

While the Bengals do not field the most intimidating passing offense, pass coverage is a weakness for Pittsburgh. According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), the Steelers rank 23rd in the league in defending the pass.

With Polamalu and Taylor out of the lineup (Taylor has only appeared in five games this season), the Steelers allowed Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith to pass for a season-high 311 yards with no interceptions in Week 16.

While few would argue that Andy Dalton is better than Smith, Cincinnati does have a more impressive group of pass-catchers than Kansas City. 

A.J. Green, Mohamed Sanu and Jermaine Gresham are all capable of producing game-changing plays. Although the running game has made the difference in recent weeks, the Bengals would be wise to attack Pittsburgh's vulnerable secondary. This is especially true if Polamalu and Taylor are absent or limited on Sunday.

While neither defensive back has played impressively this season (both are rated outside the top 50 at their positions by Pro Football Focus), both have extensive experience against the Bengals and Dalton.

Dalton is prone to making significant mistakes (he has 40 turnovers the past two seasons), and if the Steelers can force a few of them, the game could easily tilt in Pittsburgh's favor. Having a fully healthy Polamalu and Taylor would help increase the chances of that happening.