The Steelers host the Cincinnati Bengals on Mondy Night Football. Here are three reasons why Pittsburgh should secure their first win of the season.
As disappointing as the season has been for the Steelers heading into week 4, things are bound to get better. Pittsburgh might be 0-3 to start the season, but four points or less decided two of those three losses.
I’m not going to make excuses for all of the poor play we have seen from the Steelers this year, but their schedule at the beginning of the year was perhaps the most difficult in the league. The teams they have played now combine for an 8-1 record on the season.
The Steelers are favored by just 3.5-4.0 points by most betting sites this week. However, here are three reasons why I think Pittsburgh will come away victorious on Monday Night Football:
Mason Rudolph will improve
We obviously aren’t about to call Mason Rudolph the next great thing in Pittsburgh or the savior of the Steelers 2019 season. However, I’m fairly certain he will improve in his second start. Rudolph had a lot of things stacked against him last week: He had just a week of first-team reps, he was playing on the west coast at 1:00 PM in his first NFL start, and he was going against a very good defensive line.
This week will be different. Rudolph now has had more time to prepare, and he will be playing a much lesser defense on his home turf. Expect him to up his game tonight against the Bengals.
Steelers will stop the run
Pittsburgh has been dismal at stopping the run through the first three weeks of the season. Against the Patriots, Seahawks, and 49ers, the Steelers have allowed an average of 139.3 rushing yards per game – the 27th most in the league.
The Bengals are dead last in the league in rushing at just 41.7 yards per game. The Steelers will be fired up to prove that they can stop the run. I expect Pittsburgh to do much better in this area.
James Conner will bounce back
James Conner may be just averaging 2.9 yards per carry on the season, but we know he’s not that bad. Things are bound to turn around for the 2018 Pro Bowl running back, and tonight could be the night that happens.
One of the few teams that have been worse than the Steelers at stopping the run is the Bengals. Through three games, they’ve allowed a whopping 168.7 rushing yards per game – good for 31st in the league. Cincinnati has just 26th in the league in yards per rush allowed (4.9). Conner has had some tough sledding against some of the best front sevens in football in his first three weeks. He should have a bounce-back game tonight.
The Steelers are still searching for their first win of the season, and they may be able to find it in a primetime game tonight. I fully expect Mason Rudolph and James Conner to improve. We will see what happens.