Who I like, Steelers vs. Bengals
Are you ready for the fourth meeting between the Steelers and Bengals in the past 12 months?
The Steelers, almost to a man, said this week that Baltimore is still their chief rival, but for years in Cincinnati, they have called the week leading up to their game with Pittsburgh, “Steelers week.”
It has special meaning for the Bengals. And it should. The Steelers have pretty much owned them over the past two decades.
Mike Tomlin is 14-5 against Cincinnati.
Marvis Lewis is 8-20 against the Steelers.
Overall, the Steelers have won four of the past five meetings and lead the all-time series, 58-35.
More importantly, Ben Roethlisberger is 19-7 against the Bengals, including a pair of playoff wins.
One of those wins came last season, an 18-16 victory few are likely to forget for some time, especially those wearing orange and black.
The fallout from that game is still being seen today. Cincinnati linebacker Vontaze Burfict won’t suit up for the Bengals because of his vicious headshot to Antonio Brown that moved the Steelers into position for a game-winning field goal attempt (Pacman Jones compounded the mistake by then bumping an official to move the Steelers even closer).
The Bengals have always treated the Steelers like a bully. But in recent years, they’ve tried to punch the bully in the face, sometimes crossing the lines of legality in the NFL.
The animosity created on both sides from last year’s games certainly caught the eye of the NFL. It’s not coincidence this game is being played at 1 p.m. Sunday. The league didn’t want to make this a prime time game, despite it being a marquee matchup this weekend, lest it give the appearance that it condoned the behavior of either team last season.
But enough about all of that. These two teams will play a game. And there will be a winner and a loser.
The Steelers are coming off a 38-16 dismantling of Washington, while the Bengals slipped past the Jets, 22-21. Both wins are impressive in their own right.
Washington won the NFC East last season and is a favorite to do so again this season, while the Jets were an eyelash away from the postseason last year and are a tough team to beat at home.
Which win was more impressive? I’ll go with Pittsburgh’s.
The Steelers not only showed off an explosive offense despite missing Martavis Bryant, Heath Miller and Markus Wheaton, defensively, they also were very sound in that game, forcing the Redskins to abandon their running game and making Kirk Cousins beat them.
The Bengals, meanwhile, overcame an early deficit and seven sacks of quarterback Andy Dalton to escape with a win. But, hey, whatever it takes.
Pittsburgh’s front was ticked off it didn’t apply more pressure last week on Cousins, who was not sacked on 43 pass attempts. It has vowed to improve upon that.
But much of that was because the Steelers blitzed just three times, choosing to drop seven into coverage.
The Bengals, meanwhile, will likely employ the same style of defense against the Steelers. It was successful to a large degree against the Steelers last season as Roethlisberger failed to surpass 300 yards in any of the three meetings with Cincinnati. He averaged 320 yards passing per game.
So this game could be won in the trenches up front. And I like Pittsburgh’s offense line better than that of Cincinnati, especially in the middle. Much of the pressure put on Dalton last week came up the middle against center Russell Bodine and left guard Clint Boling.
And DeAngelo Williams was far more productive subbing for Bell, gaining 143 yards on 26 carries.
Jeremy Hill and Giovanni Bernard combined for 56 yards on 14 carries for Cincinnati against the Jets, who ran for 152 yards on 30 attempts against the Bengals.
That ability to win up front will be the difference for the Steelers.
Pittsburgh, which is 13-2 in home openers at Heinz Field, is a 3-point favorite in this game.
I like the Steelers to win this one, 27-20.