Steelers: 4 Bengals players fans should watch out for today

Steelers must key on RB Joe Mixon

The Bengals offense suffered multiple injuries last season, and top running back Joe Mixon was no exception. Before last season, he had only missed 4 games in his career. He missed more than double that amount, 10, in 2020. He also had the lowest yards per carry (3.6) since his rookie season and yards per reception (6.6) of his career. Much of this can be blamed on how poor their offensive line played, never giving him much room to get going.

Now that he is back healthy, the Bengals have shown so far that they want him to be a bigger part of the offense than ever. It may be a small sample size, but through 2 games Mixon has 54 touches (49 carries, 5 receptions), more than any player not named Derrick Henry and Christian McCaffrey. That volume likely won’t last as their passing game opens up more and Burrow gets more comfortable. Still, it is clear that after not having him much of last season that they intend to give him all the touches he can handle.

With all the injuries in the front seven of the Pittsburgh defense, I expect to see a lot of Mixon early in the game. If Cincinnati finds success running the ball, it will slow down the Steeler’s pass rush and give Burrow the time he needs to find his weapons.

Even with a healthier secondary this week, the Bengals have two many receiving threats to reliably cover if the rush isn’t able to get home. Defensive coordinator Keith Butler has to be aggressive early to shut down their run game, and that begins and ends with giving Mixon little room to run.

Let’s move over to the defensive side of the ball, where one of the best safeties in the NFL roams the Bengal’s secondary.