Bengals Preview – Week 3 at Pittsburgh

Two weeks is far from enough time to know exactly what an NFL team will do over a full season. It’s safe to say we have a reasonable idea of what each team will look like going forward, though. Some of these trends almost certainly won’t hold, like the NFC West being 7-1 or Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson struggling early. However, they don’t mean nothing at this point in the season, either.

The Bengals have already been tested twice in hard-fought affairs. They have an opportunity to make a statement on the road against a Pittsburgh team that has looked shaky at best. Both teams come in looking to get back on track after tough week 2 losses.

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Injury Report

Bengals
DOUBTFUL: WR Tee Higgins, OL Xavier Su’a-Filo, CB Trae Waynes
ALSO LISTED: DL Josh Tupou, DL Larry Ogunjobi, CB Darius Phillips, CB Mike Hilton

Steelers
OUT: WR Diontae Johnson, LB Alex Highsmith, DL Carlos Davis
QUESTIONABLE: LB T.J. Watt
ALSO LISTED: QB Ben Roethlisberger, CB Joe Haden, CB Justin Layne, LB Devin Bush, TE Eric Ebron, LB Marcus Allen

Odds & Betting Lines

LINE: CIN +140, PIT -160
OVER/UNDER: 43.0
SPREAD: PIT -3.0

(All odds are taken from BetMGM.)

Key Points

Defense

The Bengals have already held two proficient backs in check in Dalvin Cook and David Montgomery. (Interestingly enough, both had 20 carries for 61; Cook was more prolific in the passing game.) All of that said, the Steelers’ rushing offense hasn’t been much to write home about so far. Najee Harris has shown flashes, but his blockers haven’t provided a ton of support. If the Bengals front can take advantage of this and hold Harris down, they’ll have a clear upper hand.

If the Steelers’ defense can make enough plays, they’ll keep the offense in the game. However, their front is a bit banged up, as Alex Highsmith will miss the game with a groin injury. If T.J. Watt is available, the Steelers will likely be fine with Melvin Ingram available to step up in Highsmith’s absence. If Watt is limited, however, the depth chart doesn’t have much behind that trio. This would give the Bengals another advantage they could target.

Offense

The Steelers offense isn’t without issue, either. Ben Roethlisberger is battling through a pectoral injury, and Diontae Johnson is out with a knee injury. The offensive line, while healthy, has been underwhelming at best – Roethlisberger has faced a ton of pressure so far this season (32.5% of his dropbacks, which is third among quarterbacks who have thrown more than 6 passes, according to Pro Football Reference). This is despite the fact that Roethlisberger has been blitzed only 11 times this season, which is more than only Justin Fields, Aaron Rodgers, Tua Tagovailoa, and Davis Mills among quarterbacks who have thrown at least 10 passes. The Bengals have run 30 blitzes in 136 defensive snaps, which is the 6th-highest rate in the league, per PFR. That, frankly, sounds like a matchup nightmare for Pittsburgh in a vacuum. If Roethlisberger’s play is affected by injury, this should be yet another considerable advantage for the Bengals to exploit.

Despite all of the above potential advantages, none of them will matter if the Bengals can’t take care of the football. After a punt-heavy, positional first half last week in Chicago, the wheels completely fell off for a stretch in the third quarter – the Bengals had four consecutive possessions ending in turnovers that opened up a 17-point hole. None was more damaging than Joe Burrow‘s pick-six on the second such possession. He bounced back to keep that game close, but he must settle in against a relentless Steelers rush. Pittsburgh hasn’t shown much as an offense yet, but they have been opportunistic. Giving any team a lead by virtue of your own mistakes is foolish, but with a team like the Steelers, forcing them to beat you rather than beating yourself is paramount.

Prediction

As mentioned before, both teams are looking to avenge a tough Week 2 loss. However, the Steelers have more question marks coming into this game. If Burrow can avoid a disastrous stretch like last week’s turnover-filled third period, the Bengals should find themselves in good shape to pick up a road win in the Steel City.

Prediction: Bengals 24, Steelers 17

– Chris Railsback is a contributing writer for the Bengals at Full Press Coverage.