The Steelers have won two games in a row and six of their last 7 games, but they weren’t very impressive against the Chiefs last week. The Bengals got back on the winning track last weekend in beating the Browns in Cincy. The Steelers beat the Bengals 24-17 just three weeks ago in Cincy. Here is a look at the matchups in this game:
When the Steelers have the ball: The Steelers would probably like to run the ball more this weekend against the Bengals, but that won’t be easy. The Bengals are only giving up 92.7 yards rushing per game and 3.5 yards per carry so far this year, so Rashard Mendenhall is going to have to fight for every yard he gets. The Bengals will likely be blitzing a lot against the horrible pass blocking O-Line of the Steelers. Ben Roethlisberger is likely to get hit a lot this weekend, and the Bengals are going to be coming after his bum thumb. The passing game is likely going to be of the shorter variety this weekend, so TE Heath Miller will likely be used just as much as the WRs are.
When the Bengals have the ball: The Bengals are probably going to come out of the locker room feeding the ball to Cedric Benson. Benson is a power runner, so the front seven will likely try to stop him without much help from the secondary. The Steelers are going to have to get a good pass rush on Andy Dalton, because he’s a gunslinger who likes to throw the ball down the field. A.J. Green is going to give the Steelers’ CBs fits and they are going to need safety help over the top to deal with him. TE Jermaine Gresham and WRs Jerome Simpson and Andre Caldwell are also solid pass catchers for the Bengals.
PREDICTION: BENGALS 23, STEELERS 20