The Pittsburgh Steelers are entering their second divisional game of the season, this time against the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday Night Football... and things could get ugly. While the 4-1 Steelers are the favorites and the better overall team, they've struggled mightily on the road on TNF under Mike Tomlin—going 2-9 in these games (0-6 against the AFC North).
Because of their sluggish starts on the road in a short week, oddsmakers believe this game could stay within 45 total points, but one NFL expert is predicting a one-score shootout on Thursday Night Football.
Pete Prisco of CBS Sports recently posted his predictions for every game around the NFL in Week 7. Beginning with the Steelers on TNF tonight, Prisco predicted a 33-26 win for the Steelers.
"This is a battle between two old quarterbacks, Aaron Rodgers and Joe Flacco," Prisco wrote. "But Rodgers is playing at a high level so far for the Steelers, while Flacco is making his second start for the Bengals. This one has the look of a lot of points, but I think it will be Rodgers who leads his team to most of those. Steelers take it."
Steelers fans will take a win anyway they can get it—especially considering Coach Tomlin's horrible track record on the road on TNF. But Prisco's prediction suggests Pittsburgh's defense won't show up to play tonight.
The Pittsburgh Steelers could see a high-scoring game against the Cincinnati Bengals on TNF
Prisco's prediction would put the point total for this Thursday Night Football matchup at 59—well over the 44.5 points most major betting outlets have for this game. It's a bold prediction, but one that's not impossible to see coming to fruition.
We know that the Bengals don't have a defense, and it doesn't help that star edge rusher Trey Hendrickson is expected to miss tonight's game. So this might not be the 17-13 type of slugfest we've come accustomed to seeing in the AFC North. With Pittsburgh's secondary banged up and preparing to face arguably the NFL's best wide receiver duo of Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, it's possible the Steelers could struggle on the back end of the defense.
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Meanwhile, Pittsburgh didn't have trouble putting up points on the Cleveland Browns' impressive defense in Week 6, and they even left three points on the table when Chris Boswell slipped on a kick attempt that resulted in a missed field goal.
With a pair of 40-plus-year-old quarterbacks getting set to square off—on a short week, no less—I don't see this game becoming the 33-26 high-scoring shootout performance Prisco is expecting. Something like 24-20 feels more rational. However, we've seen some wild outcomes on Thursday Night Football, and this could be next in line.