It's a short week for the Pittsburgh Steelers as they hit the road to take on another AFC North opponent on Thursday Night Football. Mike Tomlin's team will face the Cincinnati Bengals, a divisional foe that recently gained some momentum. The Bengals made a rare inter-divisional trade to acquire veteran quarterback Joe Flacco last week, and he showed renewed energy on offense despite a loss against the Packers.
Historically, the Steelers have been tough opponents in Cincinnati, though that edge has diminished with Joe Burrow now leading the Bengals. He is hurt and won't be available for this game, but Flacco doesn't pose to be an easy win.
Pittsburgh might have the better roster heading into this game, but the Bengals have a lot of star power on offense who could help smooth over their problems.
No one within Steelers Nation should go into this battle with full confidence. Cincinnati has two elite receivers, who will test Pittsburgh's secondary. Flacco is someone who isn't afraid of tearing up a defense when the opportunity presents itself. While the Steelers are highly favored in most picks and predictions, don't be shocked if this AFC North clash comes down to the nitty-gritty.
Pittsburgh Steelers' Week 7 Still Curtain predictions have a potential Mike Tomlin stunner
"The Pittsburgh Steelers have to travel for a divisional game on a short week for Thursday Night Football. The good news is that they will be facing an underwhelming Cincinnati Bengals team without Joe Burrow. New trade acquisition Joe Flacco put up a fight against the Packers in Week 6, but this team isn't what it used to be. Pittsburgh's secondary is banged up, which could be a challenge against a great wide receiver duo, but I have Mike Tomlin's team claiming the road victory on TNF." - Tommy Jaggi (Steelers 24-20)
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"The Steelers have momentum. The Bengals are still getting used to Flacco at quarterback. On a short week, Pittsburgh ought to ride the wave into another AFC North win." - Jacob Harrison (Steelers 23-13)
"Like the Cleveland game, the Steelers should win this matchup. That said, the short week and injury-bitten Steelers could have more trouble than we think. I'm betting on the upset." - Andrew Falce (Bengals 20-17)
Final prediction has Tomlin's ugly streak on Thursday Night Football continuing
Final prediction: Steelers 22, Bengals 24
Despite only having five full days of learning the offense, Flacco produced 18 points against a strong Green Bay Packers defensive unit. The grizzled veteran found ways to get his playmakers involved, and it created a chance for victory. Experts might be predicting the Steelers to win, but Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins could give the visiting team fits in this matchup.
If Pittsburgh plays similarly to last week, they have a strong chance to improve their impressive record on the season. The issue persists that head coach Mike Tomlin struggles in road Thursday Night Football games. According to Nick Farabaugh of Penn Live, the Steelers have struggled significantly under Tomlin during Thursday night games.
"Under Mike Tomlin -- The Steelers are 2-8 in road TNF games, 0-6 in road divisional TNF games, and have not won a road TNF game since 2016 against the Indianapolis Colts. Lots of negative stats on this front as they hope to break that trend this week," Farabaugh tweeted.
That is a troubling stat, and it's one reason why the Steelers shouldn't be picked as favored as they are. They have their own wharts, and don't forget they almost lost to a New York Jets team that has yet to get a win this season. Week 7 will bring its own challenges for the visiting club to overcome, but they seem relatively healthy heading into a short week against a tough opponent.
It's always hard to look past Tomlin's consistent shortcomings in specific situations, especially in games they should win. This will be a close contest, but the Steelers hope to pull away near the end, as they did against the Browns. Flacco is the wild card here, and he produced 18 points last week against a solid defense, so he might improve with extra time to prepare under his belt.