by Chris Asbrock
The wait is over and after a long and tough regular season, it is Wild Card weekend in the NFL. The Cincinnati Bengals head into Saturday night’s primetime game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on a bit of a high. With a lot at stake and the Bengals looking to erase years of playoff demons, it is only fitting they are matched up with their most hated rival, the Steelers. Bengals fans will always revert back to the 2005 playoff matchup where the hopes of the Bengals fans and the knee of Carson Palmer were destroyed by the Steelers.
The Bengals are coming off a 12-4 season, only the third such season in franchise history. The previous two times, the Bengals were playing in the Super Bowl. On the flip side, the Steelers needed some help to make the playoffs, even with a 10-6 record. If the New York Jets had not peed down their legs, the Steelers would be watching this game from their couch. These two teams split their regular season match-ups, with each team winning on the road. This game will come down to many crucial battles. Let’s take a look at this massive playoff showdown between these two bitter rivals.
Throughout the season, the Steelers and Bengals had prolific offenses. However, each team was handed a significant blow to their personnel. The Bengals offense comes into this game with the 22nd most yards per game (340.8) of offense. They were averaging more when Andy Dalton was playing at a MVP level before he broke his thumb against the Steelers just four weeks ago. Thrust into the spotlight is AJ McCarron who has done an admirable job as the starter. This season, McCarron is 2-1 in his three starts with 854 yards passing and six touchdowns. In those starts, he did not toss an interception and protected the ball. McCarron will certainly need to take care of the ball and take advantage of the bad Steeler defense.
The biggest key for the Bengals is the rushing game, which is led by the tandem of Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard. Hill is the key for this offense as he can set the pace with his tough running while Bernard is the change of pace back. Both running backs rushed for over 700 yards this season, averaging over 3.5 a carry. The Bengals will need to get the rushing attack established to take the pressure off McCarron. If they can establish the running game, then look for the Bengals to utilize the play action and attack the Steelers secondary.
The Steelers have one the best wide receiver and quarterback tandems in football. There is no question, Antonio Brown has been one of the best receivers in the league finishing just 37 yards shy of Julio Jones’ for the league lead. Brown tallied 1834 yards receiving with and without Ben Roethlisberger. Brown will certainly get his touches but the key in the passing attack will come from Markus Wheaton and Martavis Bryant. The Bengals defense will certainly be geared towards keeping Brown at bay, so it will be key for Wheaton and Bryant to step up.
The biggest loss will be DeAngelo Williams not being in the backfield. Williams stepped in after the season ending injury to Le’Veon Bell. Along with Brown, Williams was a big key for the Steelers down the stretch and his loss could mean major problems for the rushing attack. Fitzgerald Toussaint will be the starter for this game and will be crucial for this offense. If he cannot establish himself, it could spell the end of the Steelers season.
Advantage: Bengals
Defense
The Bengals defense has been consistently one of the best units in the league throughout the season. Heading into last week, they were the top scoring defense but the Seahawks overtook them. The defense held the Steelers to only 10 points in their first meeting but gave up a few more due to some short field situations, etc., in their last matchup. The last time these two met, the Bengals were without Adam Jones and George Iloka with caused some issues for Bengals that day. Antonio Brown was lined up across from Dre Kirkpatrick and was able to open up some opportunities for the other receviers. Brown will see a lot of Jones in this game who will certainly help in trying to keep him in check.
If the Bengals defense can keep Toussaint from getting going, they will be able to pin their ears back and pressure Big Ben. The Bengals defense has done a good job in years past with pressuring Big Ben. If Geno Atkins can bring pressure up the middle, then look for Carlos Dunlap to have a huge game. There is no doubt the Bengals have the better defense in this game but it will come down to reducing the big plays. It will be crucial for the Bengals to force Big Ben to drive the length of the field and not giving the Steelers a short field.
The Steelers defense has struggled this season, compared to years past. In the last meeting, they were able to confuse McCarron in his first real NFL action. The Steelers must shut down the duo of Hill and Bernard if they are to have any success. If the Bengals can get the rushing attack going, then McCarron could look to Tyler Eifert in the play action attack. The Steelers secondary has struggled all season and could taken advantage of.
Advantage: Bengals
Special Teams
The special teams battle is where this game could be won. Both teams possess punt returners who could break the game open. Antonio Brown and Adam Jones will surely see time returning punts and can break the game open with one return. Bengals Punter Kevin Huber must do a good job of directionally punting to keep the ball out of the hands of Brown. Brown has torched the Bengals in years past and Huber is one of the best punters in the league so this showdown is surely one to watch.
Coaching
Both coaches have many years of experience and have certainly battled each other throughout the years. Both coordinators for the Bengals are going to get looks for a head coaching job with the distinct possibility they will be gone at the end of the season. Mike Tomlin is 5-4 in his eight year career in the post season. On the Bengals side, Marvin Lewis is 0-6 during his tenure in the playoffs for the Bengals. Both teams are currently experiencing a playoff drought, however, the Bengals drought has lasted 25 years.
Advantage: Steelers
Prediction: Bengals 17-13
The Bengals playoff drought will come to an end tonight. The weather, which calls for a lot of rain, coupled with the loss of DeAngelo Williams will be too much for the Steelers to overcome. Even with Big Ben and Antonio Brown, this will be a close game throughout but the Bengals will do just enough to get the job done. As most Bengals/Steelers games go, this one will surely be a must watch.
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