Steelers vs Bengals: Breakdown, matchups and prediction
Its week 14 and the 7-5 Steelers travel to the not so friendly confines of Paul Brown stadium to take on the 10-2 Cincinnati Bengals, who now sit atop the AFC with the #1 seed.
Nov 15, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers running back DeAngelo Williams (34) rushes the ball against the Cleveland Browns during the fourth quarter at Heinz Field. The Steelers won 30-9. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
With only 4 weeks left in the regular season, each game is a potential must-win situation for Pittsburgh. This game will be less about rivalry then it will be about survival.
Breakdown
The Steelers are coming off an impressive win over the Indianapolis Colts and hope to ride that momentum into Sunday against a Bengals team that, though steady, have lost two of their last 4 games. You can be assured that Tomlin has looked over the Houston and Arizona game tapes to see how those teams bested the Steelers rival.
The Steelers now have the #2 ranked offense in the NFL averaging just over 409 yards a game. Their passing game is ranked #5 but as I said last week, when one takes into consideration that Ben Roethlisberger has missed several games it would seem that the Steelers may have the most lethal air attack in the league.
Pittsburgh’s ground game has also been impressive and sits at #6 in the league. 32 year old DeAngelo Williams has proven that he has a lot left in the tank and has been more than steady in replacement of the injured Le’Veon Bell. Williams ripped the Colts defense for 134 yards last week and is averaging 4.9 yards a carry.
On defense, the Steelers are still in the bottom half of the league with a #22 overall ranking. Their run defense remains stout at #6 but their pass defense is still a liability. Teams know that the way to set this team back on their heels is to confuse them with a variety of pass formations. The pass defense is ranked #29 and is prone to giving up big plays at inopportune times.
The Bengals have the #8 ranked offense in the league. Their passing game is ranked #12 and run game is ranked #9. They are fundamentally strong and mix up their offense to monopolize on opponents weaknesses. Andy Dalton is having a Pro Bowl year and has the best passing rating of any full time quarterback in the league.
Cincinnati has the #10 overall defense going into week 14. Just like their offense, they are well rounded, ranking#13 against the pass and #9 against the run. Though banged up, their secondary knows how to bait quarterbacks into throwing into coverage. Their defensive line and linebackers provide a solid rush and force quarterbacks to get rid of the ball quickly.
Next: Matchups