Steelers clear favorites vs. Bengals by NFL experts in Week 10

The Steelers are coming off their eighth straight wins and are favorites by the experts once again as they host the Cincinnati Bengals.

The experts have been on the money in 2020 when it comes to predicting the winner of Steelers games. Though their 7-1 record isn’t quite as good as Pittsburgh’s (their only incorrect prediction coming against the Ravens), there is reason to trust the opinions of the overwhelming majority of experts yet again this week.

Steelers fans are again in luck, as the experts favor Pittsburgh by a landslide in Week 10 against the Cincinnati Bengals. According to NFL Pickwatch, a whopping 92 percent of experts have the Steelers winning at home this week against their division rivals. While this could give you a boost of confidence before the game kicks off at 4:25 ET this Sunday, don’t think Pittsburgh has this one in the bag just yet.

Why the Steelers could struggle against the Bengals

Against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 9, Pittsburgh did not do what was expected of them. Most experts thought they would come to Dallas and wipe the floor with arguably the NFL’s worst team since Dak Prescott landed on IR with a season-ending injury. But that wasn’t the case at all. The Steelers really struggled against the Cowboys, and they never saw the lead in the game until almost the 2-minute warning in the fourth quarter.

Pittsburgh is much more familiar against the Bengals, and historically, Mike Tomlin has been stellar against the Bengals. However, that doesn’t mean that this game will be over at halftime.

The Bengals aren’t a very talented football team. They have an extremely vulnerable offensive line, and their pass rush is one of the least efficient units in the entire NFL. Still, they haven’t faced the Bengals with a quarterback as talented as Joe Burrow.

We should know by experience that a good quarterback can make up for a lack of talent in other positions on the team. Through the first 8 games of his NFL career, Burrow has impressed – earning 11 touchdowns, 5 interceptions, and a 91.4 passer rating. Additionally, he’s averaged nearly 7.0 yards per attempt halfway through the season and has thrown for over 300 yards 5 times in 8 games.

The Steelers should be able to generate pressure against Cincinnati’s vulnerable offensive line, but sending extra defenders against Joe Burrow could end up being a mistake. He has played as well as any rookie quarterback in years, and he has an innate ability to escape the pocket and make something happen when the play breaks down.

Meanwhile, the Steelers are coming off their two worst defensive performances of the year and have allowed 409 rushing yards over the last two games.

This doesn’t mean that the Steelers don’t have the ability to blow the Bengals out of the water, but after their less than stellar performance against the Cowboys, I would be cautiously optimistic about their chances against Cincinnati this week. If they can keep winning, that’s all we really care about.