Photo Credit: Chris Asbrock (FTI Sports)
by Chris Asbrock
Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2) vs. Cincinnati Bengals (2-3)
Heinz Field
Sunday, 10/22/2017
4:25 P.M. EST
CBS
The Bengals and Steelers rivalry is one that is filled with hatred between the teams and the fans. That hatred gets refueled when the two teams face off in week seven of the NFL season. The Bengals are coming into this matchup off their bye week, with a bit of momentum and a few victories. On the other side, the Steelers come into this game, fresh off one of the most impressive performances thus far in the season, knocking off the Kansas City Chiefs 19-13 in Arrowhead. A victory for both teams will put them in a great spot in the AFC North at almost the midway point of the season.
Offense
The Bengals have the offensive weapons that teams would be jealous to have but haven’t been able to fully utilize them. The Bengals looked completely lost the first two weeks of the season but things changed after the dismissal of offensive coordinator, Ken Zampese. New OC Bill Lazor has done a respectable job so far in his three weeks running the offense. The play of Andy Dalton has certainly changed for the good. Dalton has completed 65% of his passes with seven touchdown passes. AJ Green who is one of the best receivers in the league, has hauled in three of those touchdowns. With Green getting most of the attention from opposing defenses, it is crucial for another receiver to step up. Could this be the week rookie John Ross steps up? The play of Joe Mixon and Giovani Bernard has made it easy to cut back the play of Jeremy Hill. With Tyler Eifert on the shelf for the season, it is crucial for Tyler Kroft to continue his supporting role. As expected, the achilles heel for this offense is the play of the offensive line. The line has struggled all season, causing the season to start off much worse than expected. For any success in this game, the line must play well and keep Dalton upright.
Like the Bengals, the Steelers offense possesses weapons that are some of the best in the league. Even with Ben Roethlisberger not playing his best this season, the offense is still lead by Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown. Bell, one of the best running backs in the league, with 550 yards on 134 carries. Bell has also tallied four touchdowns so far this season. Bell is also a serious threat out of the backfield, adding 30 receptions for 156 yards. Along with Bell, you have another one of the best receiving weapons in Brown. Brown is one of the most feared receivers in the league and has been nothing short of great again. Brown has hauled in 48 receptions for 700 yards and two touchdowns. Brown, paired with Martavis Bryant and Juju Smith-Schuster provide Roethlisberger a bevy of weapons.Â
Advantage: Steelers
Defense
The Bengals defense will get the very slight edge in this category as both teams are very similar statistically. Both defenses will put pressure on the quarterback and force the other team into making mistakes. Both teams are extremely familiar with each other and know their tendencies. While the Bengals defense is better overall, it is the Steelers defense that will cause the most problems. Look for the Steelers to give the Bengals offensive line issues all day. The Bengals will have to execute their gameplan to perfection, facing a defense that shut down a previously undefeated Chiefs team.
Advantage: Push/Bengals
Special Teams
This category is one that is a relative push. The Bengals have one of the best punters in the league in Kevin Huber who can flip field position with one punt. The Bengals have been very fortunate with Huber and his abilities. Kicking field goals in Heinz Field can be very tough with the wind whipping around in there. With Randy Bullock being a former Steeler, that does help when comparing the two kickers. Chris Boswell hasn’t been too bad this season, missing two attempts so far. If this game does come down to a field goal, both teams shouldn’t feel too bad.
Advantage: Push
Coaching
With divisional games like this, it is tough to compare the coaches as they face each other at least twice a season. In this case, Mike Tomlin is one of the better coaches in the league, hauling in multiple Super Bowl titles. With Marvin Lewis seeming to struggle to get this team going at times, Tomlin and his coaching staff seem to have the Bengals number.
Advantage: Steelers
As with every Bengals-Steelers matchup, this one will be filled with ugliness and hatred. When these teams get together it can make for a typical, ugly AFC North game. Both teams handle this week much differently. The Steelers approach “Bengals week” like a rivalry game should be handled, with intensity. On the flip side, Marvin Lewis has this team approaching “Steelers week” like just another week, which it is not. This is a crucial game for the Bengals if they have any hopes of making it to the playoffs and preparing like just another week could be a reason why things could go sideways for them. The Steelers know how to get under the Bengals skin and the moment can sometimes get to the team. With this being such a big game, the Bengals must come out and be disciplined if they have any hopes of knocking off the vaunted black and gold.Â
Prediction: Steelers 20-17
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