Steelers: 4 Bengals players fans should watch out for today

With the Steelers coming off a disappointing loss against the Raiders, facing a familiar foe may be just what they need. Or is it? Here are 4 players to keep an eye on against the Bengals.

After 11 consecutive victories against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Steelers streak came to an end last December during their end-of-season collapse. Despite the Bengals being forced to start Ryan Finley at QB and only managing 230 yards of offense, timely turnovers from their defense and an equally poor showing from the Steelers offense earned them a 27-17 win.

Both teams have changed significantly since then, so much so that it’s hard to know what to expect. The Bengals made the controversial selection of LSU receiver Ja’Marr Chase with their first pick of the 2021 draft, reuniting him with Joe Burrow.

On defense, they revamped their corner spot with Chidobe Awuzie and former Steeler Mike Hilton. They added Trey Hendrickson along the defensive line to help spark a pass rush that only managed 17 sacks. Everything points to this Bengals team being a much tougher out this season. The Steelers on the other hand were consistently put near the bottom of offseason grades, adding very little of note to their roster outside of the draft until the late additions of Trai Turner and Melvin Ingram.

With all the new faces in Cincinnati, who should Steelers fans be watching out for? One rookie, in particular, stands out.

Steelers must be careful with WR Ja’Marr Chase

When Ja’Marr Chase was selected with the fifth overall in this year’s draft, many in the NFL community questioned the decision. Not because of anything wrong with Chase or how he fits with Bengals, but because he was selected ahead of consensus top tackle Penei Sewell. The Bengal’s biggest weakness on offense by far was and still is their offensive line, so it felt more like a luxury pick and a way to make Joe Burrow happy by adding his top college target.

Then came the preseason drops and the admission from Chase about the differences between college and professional footballs. While those comments were overblown, they only added fuel to the fire for critics of the pick. Then he went out week one against the Vikings and had a five-catch, 101-yard debut that included a 50-yard bomb for his first NFL touchdown. He followed that up with a quieter but still impressive 54 yards and another score on just 2 receptions.

He has been the big-play threat he was advertised as, and the Steelers must be careful not to let him get free down the field. Just last week, Pittsburgh let Raiders receiver Henry Ruggs get open on a deep touchdown where he beat Ahkello Witherspoon on a post route. Chase isn’t as fast as Ruggs, but he is a better overall receiver and more dangerous after the catch. Joe Haden will be back for this game which will be helpful, but I won’t be surprised if Chase is the Bengals most impactful receiver on Sunday.

Keeping things on the offensive side of the ball, the Bengals bell-cow running back deserves the fan’s attention.