What to watch for, bold predictions for Bengals vs. Steelers

All the need-to-know information for this week’s matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals.

What to watch for

“Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger are banged up entering Sunday’s AFC North matchup,” said Brooke Pryor. “Roethlisberger, who is 24-8 against the Bengals, might be able to play through the pain of the left pec injury, but if the Steelers’ embattled offensive line can’t withstand a pass rush led by Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson, it could be another long day for the QB.”

The Steelers offense has not been good, even with a healthy Roethlisberger. Though the offense posted 331 yards against the Raiders, there were plenty of areas that lacked efficiency. The Steelers finished with only 39 rushing yards and were 5-of-12 on third down. They failed in their only fourth-down attempt. Now their struggling offense will have to go up against a Bengal’s that has been decent to start the season. On the money down, third down, they have allowed a conversion percentage of 38.7. And against two of the NFL’s better passing attacks they’ve allowed 6.5 yards per completion.

“Defensively, the Steelers have a rash of injuries that could make it difficult to defend the deep ball from Bengals signal-caller Joe Burrow — something Pittsburgh didn’t do well in the loss against the Raiders,” Pryor closed with.

The Steelers defense has been the highlight of the team through two weeks. In week 1 they helped steal a win on the road against the Buffalo Bills. To many the Bills are one of the elite teams of the AFC. Although the Bengals are not viewed in the same light, they have shown that they do have a dangerous offense. If Watt an Co. can not get to Burrow, that will give him all kinds of time to find one of his many weapons.

Bold predictions

“Steelers running back Najee Harris will get 150 scrimmage yards. The Steelers have had fewer than 100 rushing yards in eight straight games, the longest active streak in NFL. But they should be able to get favorable matchups for Harris in the middle of the field against Cincinnati,” added Ben Baby.

Najee Harris is the teams leading rusher right now, but that’s not saying much. through two games he only has 83 yards on the ground. But it’s not solely the rookies fault. The Steelers have a league worse 57 rushing yards per game; 10 yards few per game than the next team.

The game’s kickoff is scheduled for 1 pm EST. It will be a home game for the Pittsburgh Steelers held at Hienz Field. The Steelers are favored by three points.