by Chris Asbrock
Pittsburgh Steelers (0-3) vs. Cincinnati Bengals (0-3)
Heinz Field
Monday, 9/30/2019
8:15 P.M. EST
ESPN
Line: PIT -3.5
The time is finally here for the first Bengals/Steelers matchup of the 2019 season. However, this matchup has a much different feel than the extremely heated and nasty ones from prior years. The Steelers have owned the Bengals and made life a living hell for Bengals fans, who were looking to the Bengals to finally knock them off -their perch. During the Marvin Lewis era, the matchups against the Steelers were brutal. Marvin went 8-26 against the Steelers in his career but are things about to change under Zac Taylor? This season, more than ever, looks to be the one that the Bengals will knock the Steelers off for the first time since 2015.
Let’s take a look at the breakdown between these two teams heading into this matchup.
Under Zac Taylor, the offense has seen a resurgence. While the blowout against San Francisco wasn’t pleasant, Andy Dalton still threw for over 300 yards. Granted, a chunk of those yards were in garbage time, the team was still going after it. The first half from last week against the Bills was reminiscent of the Marvin Lewis era. After a so called, spirited halftime discussion to his team from Taylor, the Bengals came out like a different team in the second half and once again had a chance to win the game before an unlucky interception sent the Bengals another loss. Dalton rebounded from a dismal first half to end up with a solid stat line, going 20-36 for 250 yards, 1 TD and 2 INT. The numbers don’t look like the best but after the first half, the final line is quite impressive. Dalton is currently sitting 3rd in the league with 979 yards passing. The rushing attack has been dormant all season but showed some flashes of improvement in the second half against the Bills. Last seasons leading rusher in the AFC, Joe Mixon has just 87 yards rushing on 32 carries through three games this season. That obviously won’t cut it if the Bengals are hoping to make a run at a playoff spot, in the down AFC North. With A.J. Green still out, a host of receivers have stepped up, mainly John Ross. However, with Ross comes massive inconsistency. Over Ross’ short NFL career, he has provided some explosive plays along with killer drops. The Bengals receivers will look to step up and take advantage of a down Steelers team.
The Steelers are without the so-called Killer B’s. Le’Veon Bell is in New York, Antonio Brown is out of the league and back in college and Ben Roethlisberger is injured. This game doesn’t have the same feel as in years past, without the major players. The Steelers offense has certainly struggled this season and without Roethlisberger, it has been a lot harder sledding. The Steelers offense is ranked 27th or below in every major offensive category. They average only 16.3 points per game, which is ranked 29th overall. In terms of total offense, they rank 30th overall with 269.3 total yards. Only 64 yards of that average is via the ground. Second year quarterback Mason Rudolph is now the starter and through two games, has done an admirable job. The former Oklahaoma State Cowboy signal caller has thrown for 286 yards with 4 touchdowns and two interceptions. Rudolph is starting to come into his own but has only one true target to throw to, JuJu Smith-Schuster. Since his arrival, JuJu has been one of the better receivers on the team. With the departure of Antonio Brown, JuJu has stepped up to become the top guy for the Steelers. That is how he has played as well, hauling in 14 passes for 243 yards and a touchdown. On the ground, James Conner has taken over for Le’Veon Bell as the number one running back. Like the Bengals, Pittsburgh has struggled to get the running game going, averaging 64 yards on the ground, which is good for 29th best in the league. Like the Bengals, to come away with a victory in this game, the rushing attack has to get going, coupled with success through the air.
Advantage: Bengals
Defense
Defensively, this is a battle between two teams that have give up a boatload of yards, both giving up over 400 yards of total offense. On average, both the Steelers and Bengals have been victimized for over 27 points per game. The Bengals have played solid football in two of the three games. Against the Seahawks and Bills, the Bengals were able to get pressure on the quarterback and keep the rushing attack at bay. The game against the 49ers was likely an abomination, based off the other two games. The defense is experiencing some major injuries that could take a toll on the team. Two defensive linemen, Kerry Wynn and Ryan Glasgow have been ruled out for this game, while defensive end, Carl Lawson is listed as doubtful for this game. Cornerback Darius Phillips was placed on injured reserve this week and could be a bigger injury than expected. William Jackson III, Dre Kirkpatrick and B.W. Webb will be tasked with dealing with Smith-Schuster. For the Bengals to have a positive outcome, the defense will need to keep Mason Rudolph under pressure. Sam Hubbard, Geno Atkins and Carlos Dunlap are looking to keep the pressure on Rudolph, making it difficult for the Steelers to get anything going offensively.
On the Steelers side, the defensive line has to be excited to face the Bengals offensive line. This season, the Bengals line has struggled to keep Andy Dalton upright and that trend could continue against T.J. Watt, Stephon Tuitt and the rest of the defense. Like the Bengals, the Steelers have been prone to giving up points. Joe Haden and newly acquired Minkah Fitzpatrick will have quite the job of keeping the potent Bengals passing attack in check. The key for the Steelers is to put a lot of pressure on Dalton and keeping Joe Mixon quiet on the ground. If the Steelers can shut down Mixon, like Seattle and San Francisco did, the pressure will fall on Dalton. This matchup is crucial for both teams, who are looking to solidify their defense. The Bengals have the advantage on defense, based off their play so far this season.
Advantage:Â Bengals
Special Teams
Special teams is the unit that is even between the two teams. Kevin Huber is one of the top punters in the league. This season, Huber has punted 15 times with an average of 43.1 yards per punt. Five of those punts were within the 20 yard line and has only one touchback. Huber’s ability to flip the field and pin the opposing team inside the 20, gives the Bengals an advantage. In the return game, the loss of Darius Phillips will be felt more than expected but Alex Erickson will step up and fill the role as returner. In terms of the kicking game, Randy Bullock has missed two field goals this season and both kicks were crucial in the outcome of the game. The former Steeler will need to come through if the game comes down to a kick.
Jordan Berry has similar stats to Huber, punting 16 times, with an average of 47.9 yards per punt, with four punts being downed inside the 20 yard line. Like Huber, Berry has done a solid job of flipping the field for the Steelers. Chris Boswell has been perfect this season in the kicking game and gives the Steelers an advantage in the kicking game. In terms of the returners, Ryan Switzer is the key cog in the return game for Pittsburgh. Should this game come down to a field goal, the advantage is with Boswell, who kicks in Heinz Field on a regular basis.
Coaching
Mike Tomlin has been around the block a time or two and his experience and record speak for itself. In his 13 years in charge of the Steelers, Tomlin has won the AFC North six times, making the playoffs eight times, including winning Super Bowl XLIII. Tomlin has compiled a 125-9-1 record during his time in the Steel City. With the turnover of talent that has occurred, this season will be the most challenging. The experience Tomlin brings to the table could be valuable in a game like this. Zac Taylor showed some fire during halftime and post game against the Buffalo Bills. Taylor has this Bengals team playing better football and the pressure is on to get his first win as head coach. Taylor has done a solid job this season in making adjustments at halftime, giving the Bengals a new dynamic and something fans rarely saw under Marvin Lewis.
Advantage:Â Steelers
This is a big game for both teams. The Bengals badly need a win and the Steelers look to continue their dominance over their rivals. Compared to years past, this is the best time for the Bengals to rise up and snag a victory over the down Steelers. Under Marvin Lewis, you could expect the Bengals to fall flat on their face in primetime. Under Zac Taylor, the mentality has changed and the trajectory is facing up for the Bengals. This has been a coulda, woulda, shoulda season for the Bengals who are in reality, two plays away from a 2-1 record. Now, as things stand both teams are winless and look to get their first win in 2019 on Monday Night Football. Both teams will be hungry to get that elusive first win and the time is better than ever for the Bengals to finally knock off the Steelers. If the Bengals can come out and play like they did against Seattle and the second half of the Buffalo game, this will be a great night for the Bengals and their fans. If the Bengals team that shows up looks like the one that played San Francisco and the first half of Buffalo, the Bengals will once again be handed a heavy dose of reality. One factor to take into consideration is that Zac Taylor is new to this rivalry and doesn’t have the negative mentality that plagued the Bengals for the last few years. With many players who were involved in making this a nasty rivalry, no longer with their respective teams, look for this to be a new chapter in this fantastic matchup.
Prediction: Bengals 20-17
Other Game Picks:
Falcons over Titans
Patriots over Bills
Chiefs over Lions
Colts over Raiders
Chargers over Dolphins
Giants over Redskins
Ravens over Browns
Texans over Panthers
Rams over Buccaneers
Seahawks over Cardinals
Bears over Vikings
Broncos over Jaguars
Saints over Cowboys
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