Steelers vs Bengals: 5 crucial matchups to watch in Week 3

The Steelers are back this Sunday to host their first AFC North matchup of the season against the Cincinnati Bengals. Here are my five crucial matchups heading into Week 3.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are preparing to host their first AFC North opponent the Cincinnati Bengals after losing to the Raiders last week 26-17.

Pittsburgh is heading into this game with a lot of adversity. The team is fighting some serious injuries that sidelined many players last Sunday including TJ Watt, Tyson Alualu, Joe Haden, Devin Bush, and others. Ben Roethlisberger also suffered a pec injury in Sunday’s loss to the Raiders. The biggest question coming into Sunday is to see who will be ready to go.

The Bengals are coming off a loss to the Bears 20-17 as the team has struggled by turning the ball over on four consecutive drives and allowing many sacks against Joe Burrow. There are many aspects of this game that the Steelers have to execute if they want to come out with the win. Here are my 5 crucial matchups heading into Week 3.

Steelers offensive line vs the Bengals Front 7

Going into the season, the Steelers biggest concern has been their offensive line. Having so much inexperience upfront is their biggest problem not being able to move the football. But having a young offensive line, the best way to improve is experience.

The offensive line as expected has struggled this year so far. Yes, the offensive line did enough to come out with a win in Buffalo but they allowed Ben Roethlisberger to get hit 10 times in Sunday’s loss against the Raiders.

The Steelers o-line has got to execute more effectively if they want to allow this offense to become more balanced. You can’t win a Super Bowl without a strong foundation upfront