Week 13...@ Bengals ***MNF***

[ATL96Steeler]

Alright Steeler Nation!

Week 13 finds our beloved Steelers 9-2 and atop the AFCN by 3 games over the 6-5 Ravens. We now embark on the last 5 games of the regular season.

The orange and black clad Bengals are back on the docket again. This time the venue changes to Paul Brown stadium in the Queen City of Cincinnati. My best effort to cut and paste complements of pro-football reference.

Team Ranks



PIT CIN
Home Record 4-1-0 3-2-0
Away Record 5-1-0 2-4-0
Record vs. Spread 6-5-0 6-5-0
Points Scored 258 (12th) 199 (25th)
Points Allowed 193 (4th) 215 (10th)
Takeaway Diff. 0 (16th) -7 (27th)
Pass Yds/Game 262 (5th) 198 (28th)
Rush Yds/Game 104 (19th) 75 (31st)
Def. Pass Yds/Game 193 (3rd) 203 (5th)
Def. Rush Yds/Game 96 (6th) 126 (28th)

Just going off the stats...one would think this would be a fairly low scoring game and PIT would run it great and CIN would struggle in the run game. But, they don't play these games on paper. The Bengals unleashed their rookie RB, Joe Mixon as the main ball carrier. Benard is still a very capable player in his own right, but I'm more concerned stopping the bigger, younger, Mixon. That's an area the DEF has struggled with.

Injuries...Juju (hamstring) I think he's going to play. McDonald (ankle), I have not heard the latest on Vance, but I saw a report he did practice.. @FaCe-LeE-uS might have more on injuries later.

Outlook...The Bengals, now, 5-6 have won 2 straight after starting the season in ugly fashion. I trust the young OTs have improved since the 1st meeting, but I see that RT, Fisher is out with some type of heart ailment...wish him a good recovery. The DEF still has Atkins anchoring the DL, the nutcase LB idt played in the 1st matchup. I like that young CB WJIII...Face and wanted in the draft. The OFC talent level in CIN is down a tad due to injury with Eifert and that impact WR2 not really surfacing yet, but they do have a solid DEF and will be a major challenge at home.

Steelers have won 5 straight in this series and that has to be eating at the core of that team. IMO a lot of the success I would attribute to PIT playing smarter at times, and not getting too wrapped up into the rivalry part of it.

I like the way the PIT OFC played last week...I think they will build on that again in primetime. Just too many weapons and the Steeler OL seems to match up well vs the Bengals DL...Hubbard should do okay vs Dunlap...the young LB Lawson...imo he's their best pass rusher and he concerns me.

Vegas probably has no clue how to set the line in these Steeler games to get money flowing on both sides....I like PIT in a fairly close game 24-17.

What say you?

 

[Superbelt]

Steelers favored against a bottom dweller? On the road?

$1200 on Amazon. With Prime, you'll get it in time for the game.

 

[cincygrad]

I made a prediction in the AFC-N thread. I predicted that the Steelers will win 27-17.

I think the Bengals will not stop Bell and they won't get the Steelers off the field on 3rd down. They've had problems in this area all season. I think the Steelers will double AJ every chance they get and dare the Bengals to run the ball. The game will likely be similar to the first outing - Close at halftime and the Steelers will pull away late. This should drop the curtain on the Bengals 2017 season.

If Pittsburgh comes out flat and the Bengals pull the upset, I believe it will set the Bengals up for a week 17 playoff with Baltimore for the 6th seed in the playoffs.

 

[Yo Tee]

Steelers win but won't be surprised if we some how find a way to let the Bengals stay in the game.

 

[Superbelt]

Steelers win but won't be surprised if we some how find a way to let the Bengals stay in the game.

That wouldn't surprise anyone.

 

[Ewa PGH Fan]

I feel another stressful ugly as fuck win coming. Just ask Steeler Dad!!!

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Offense... Will we see Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde? Steelers are averaging only 20.5pts on the road, vs. 27pts at home. We have seen a better output in recent weeks but we have to remember that both of those games were at home. It's still fair to wonder if we'll see Mr. Hyde on Monday night. O-line has stiffer competition this week. Hoping to see them hold up well again. I have a feeling we will see a similar gameplan as the one we saw against Green Bay. Steelers look like they are finding a rhythm so I hope they don't try to change things. I see Bell having more of an impact though since the Cincy D's strength is in its secondary. Tomlin likes to impose his will in these divisional bouts so look for them to get Bell going early. Still would like to see Haley & Ben getting more people involved (hopefully they catch more balls this time).

Defense... The emergence of Mixon has me a little more worried in this game. But I still think the Steelers will let Shazier & Williams handle him without safety help. We all have concerns about the big plays lately, and I'm sure Dalton will look to expose that so AJ Green will likely get plenty of targets. Let us pray that Mitchell pulls his head out of his ass this week. Front 7 will continue to do what it does best. Hope they are fired up for this game because I'm sure the Bengals will be.

Injuries... Shazier, Mitchell & McDonald were limited today in practice, but should practice fully later in the week. JuJu was a full participant, although they did not do any hitting today so he could still be considered "limited". Injury reports are only required for 3 practices prior to games, so being that its a Monday night game they will be practicing Saturday and releasing those reports on Thursday through Saturday. As always, practice will dictate availability.

Thinking this game is going to be a close one as well. Cincy has their backs against the wall and needs this win bad so I think they'll be very aggressive. If Cincy loses it is pretty much curtains on their season which could put a lot of jobs at stake.

Mind the juju...

Bengals 24 - Steelers 20

 

[Bridgeburner]

I have a bad feeling about this one. But until the Steelers get better at beating inferior teams (especially on the road) I'm probably not going to shake that feeling.

Bengals 17 Steelers 13

 

[ATL96Steeler]

I made a prediction in the AFC-N thread. I predicted that the Steelers will win 27-17.

I think the Bengals will not stop Bell and they won't get the Steelers off the field on 3rd down. They've had problems in this area all season. I think the Steelers will double AJ every chance they get and dare the Bengals to run the ball. The game will likely be similar to the first outing - Close at halftime and the Steelers will pull away late. This should drop the curtain on the Bengals 2017 season.

If Pittsburgh comes out flat and the Bengals pull the upset, I believe it will set the Bengals up for a week 17 playoff with Baltimore for the 6th seed in the playoffs.

That's entirely possible, but in this matchup maybe not probable.

FS play has been suspect all season...PIT has given up several explosion plays for 6 with the FS on his feet and seemingly in position to at least make a tackle. Getting gouged by Mixon or AJ deep I think are my biggest concerns.

If Haley stays aggressive, and versatile maybe they can keep CIN off balance and put up 27...but if he tries to funnel 80% of the OFC thru Bell and Brown as per norm...they will do good to score 24.

 

[cincygrad]

That's entirely possible, but in this matchup maybe not probable.

FS play has been suspect all season...PIT has given up several explosion plays for 6 with the FS on his feet and seemingly in position to at least make a tackle. Getting gouged by Mixon or AJ deep I think are my biggest concerns.

If Haley stays aggressive, and versatile maybe they can keep CIN off balance and put up 27...but if he tries to funnel 80% of the OFC thru Bell and Brown as per norm...they will do good to score 24.

Well, last time the Steelers controlled the clock and basically made Dalton's life a living hell because we can't block. Hard to throw deep when you can't protect. Steelers put up 29 in the first match up and that was without Brown doing much of anything. I don't think 27 is much of a reach.

 

[CrashDavisSports]

The Bengals offense has been terrible on 3rd down, forcing the defense to be on the field longer. Which in turn has forced the defense to have a very ugly 3rd down conversion rate on them. Teams have been averaging over 25+ offensive plays more than us, along with a massive differential on TOP. Plus, we are going to be missing our leading tackler on defense (Vigil) and our special teams captain (Rey), both of which are LB's which will force a 6th round rookie into the mix (Evans).

Pittsburgh always covers Green very well, making us 1 dimensional and our OL has been horrible every week of the season except against the Browns for running the ball. So, I expect nothing less against a Steeler team that has owned us forever, and has a QB that just loves playing the Bengals in Cincinnati. Besides, half the stands will be Steeler fans anyways, coupled with our inability to do crap in Prime Time Games...I expect this one to be ug-ly!

Steelers 31 - Bengals 14

However, not sure a loss here actually takes the Bengals out of the running for a playoff spot as the AFC sucks outside New England and Pittsburgh.

Every team except NE and PITT have a very damn good chance of losing this weekend that is in the AFC playoff picture.

I can see Detroit beating Baltimore.
New England should beat Buffalo.
Not likely the Colts beat Jax in Jax, but it is possible depending on Jax's defense.
Denver beating Miami.
Jets knocking off KC in NY.
Houston could beat TENN on the road.
Giants with all the controversy could knock off the Raiders still the way they have played.
Josh Gordon back for the Browns and the Browns only win last year came against SD.

If all that occurs:

One of Jacksonville or Tennessee will win their division meaning that only 1 of those teams will be a wildcard.

Leaves all the 6-6 teams or worse fighting for the last playoff spot with Cincinnati owning tie breaker against Buffalo and a game to play against Baltimore still.

Jacksonville 7-5
Tennessee 7-5
Baltimore 6-6
Buffalo 6-6
Kansas City 6-6
Cincinnati 5-7
Oakland 5-7
Chargers 5-7
Houston 5-7
Jets 5-7
Denver 4-8
Miami 4-8

So while losing this game against Pitt could drown Cincy if things don't pan out, it is likely they could as they don't. Meaning, there is still a window of opportunity even with a loss.

Chargers by far have the easiest road to the playoffs as far as a possible winning out scenario, but they still need a couple breaks from teams ahead of them, same as Cincinnati.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

The Bengals offense has been terrible on 3rd down, forcing the defense to be on the field longer. Which in turn has forced the defense to have a very ugly 3rd down conversion rate on them. Teams have been averaging over 25+ offensive plays more than us, along with a massive differential on TOP. Plus, we are going to be missing our leading tackler on defense (Vigil) and our special teams captain (Rey), both of which are LB's which will force a 6th round rookie into the mix (Evans).

Pittsburgh always covers Green very well, making us 1 dimensional and our OL has been horrible every week of the season except against the Browns for running the ball. So, I expect nothing less against a Steeler team that has owned us forever, and has a QB that just loves playing the Bengals in Cincinnati. Besides, half the stands will be Steeler fans anyways, coupled with our inability to do crap in Prime Time Games...I expect this one to be ug-ly!

Steelers 31 - Bengals 14

However, not sure a loss here actually takes the Bengals out of the running for a playoff spot as the AFC sucks outside New England and Pittsburgh.

Every team except NE and PITT have a very damn good chance of losing this weekend that is in the AFC playoff picture.

I can see Detroit beating Baltimore.
New England should beat Buffalo.
Not likely the Colts beat Jax in Jax, but it is possible depending on Jax's defense.
Denver beating Miami.
Jets knocking off KC in NY.
Houston could beat TENN on the road.
Giants with all the controversy could knock off the Raiders still the way they have played.
Josh Gordon back for the Browns and the Browns only win last year came against SD.

If all that occurs:

One of Jacksonville or Tennessee will win their division meaning that only 1 of those teams will be a wildcard.

Leaves all the 6-6 teams or worse fighting for the last playoff spot with Cincinnati owning tie breaker against Buffalo and a game to play against Baltimore still.

Jacksonville 7-5
Tennessee 7-5
Baltimore 6-6
Buffalo 6-6
Kansas City 6-6
Cincinnati 5-7
Oakland 5-7
Chargers 5-7
Houston 5-7
Jets 5-7
Denver 4-8
Miami 4-8

So while losing this game against Pitt could drown Cincy if things don't pan out, it is likely they could as they don't. Meaning, there is still a window of opportunity even with a loss.

Chargers by far have the easiest road to the playoffs as far as a possible winning out scenario, but they still need a couple breaks from teams ahead of them, same as Cincinnati.

Good post Crash!

You seem to have a lot more confidence in the Steelers than we do this week. Although most of us are thinking of the Steelers taking the W, we don't see it being in blowout fashion. Steelers defense is reeling. They are lost in the backend, and tackling has been an issue. I said it somehwere around here, but I think if Cincy moves Aj Green around enough they will figure out the defensive weaknesses making it easier for Dalton to exploit it. But I don't think that will happen until late. CIncy's O-line won't be able to hold off the pass rush long enough for Green to get 15+ yds down the field until they take the gas out of them. Quick strikes & rub routes can easily expose this defense. Granted I don't think Cincy has that go-to 2nd option. Maybe Kroft?

Anyways, I'm thinkin this will be a closely contested battle boiling down to whoemever can convert more 3rd downs. Seems like captain obvious, but it really will. Both teams have shown struggles in that regard so it will be interesting to see who shows up to play. Hoping MNF brings out the best in both clubs, and also hoping for a clean game. I wouldn't mind seeing Mitchell & Burfict both get the boot from this game lol.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Really hoping AB's toe injury isn't anything serious and they are just giving him a few days of rest on the long week. But without him that puts a lot of pressure on Marty B & Juju. Both have flashed the capabilites of being a gamechanger but we know they lack the consistency. Mainly talking of Marty.

No AB could mean Bell is in for a hefty workload.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Nothing new on AB as of right now... Still a gametime decision, but coaches are expecting him to play.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

The Bengals offense has been terrible on 3rd down, forcing the defense to be on the field longer. Which in turn has forced the defense to have a very ugly 3rd down conversion rate on them. Teams have been averaging over 25+ offensive plays more than us, along with a massive differential on TOP. Plus, we are going to be missing our leading tackler on defense (Vigil) and our special teams captain (Rey), both of which are LB's which will force a 6th round rookie into the mix (Evans).

Pittsburgh always covers Green very well, making us 1 dimensional and our OL has been horrible every week of the season except against the Browns for running the ball. So, I expect nothing less against a Steeler team that has owned us forever, and has a QB that just loves playing the Bengals in Cincinnati. Besides, half the stands will be Steeler fans anyways, coupled with our inability to do crap in Prime Time Games...I expect this one to be ug-ly!

Steelers 31 - Bengals 14

However, not sure a loss here actually takes the Bengals out of the running for a playoff spot as the AFC sucks outside New England and Pittsburgh.

Every team except NE and PITT have a very damn good chance of losing this weekend that is in the AFC playoff picture.

I can see Detroit beating Baltimore.
New England should beat Buffalo.
Not likely the Colts beat Jax in Jax, but it is possible depending on Jax's defense.
Denver beating Miami.
Jets knocking off KC in NY.
Houston could beat TENN on the road.
Giants with all the controversy could knock off the Raiders still the way they have played.
Josh Gordon back for the Browns and the Browns only win last year came against SD.

If all that occurs:

One of Jacksonville or Tennessee will win their division meaning that only 1 of those teams will be a wildcard.

Leaves all the 6-6 teams or worse fighting for the last playoff spot with Cincinnati owning tie breaker against Buffalo and a game to play against Baltimore still.

Jacksonville 7-5
Tennessee 7-5
Baltimore 6-6
Buffalo 6-6
Kansas City 6-6
Cincinnati 5-7
Oakland 5-7
Chargers 5-7
Houston 5-7
Jets 5-7
Denver 4-8
Miami 4-8

So while losing this game against Pitt could drown Cincy if things don't pan out, it is likely they could as they don't. Meaning, there is still a window of opportunity even with a loss.

Chargers by far have the easiest road to the playoffs as far as a possible winning out scenario, but they still need a couple breaks from teams ahead of them, same as Cincinnati.

I would bet on CIN making it at 10-6, but 9-7 will be much tougher with both JAX and TN owning the h-t-h on them.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

smh... Really? So he purposely sat out of the 2015 divisional round game where Pittsburgh lost, and ended their season?

 

[CrashDavisSports]

smh... Really? So he purposely sat out of the 2015 divisional round game where Pittsburgh lost, and ended their season?

Yep.

If Burfict says it is true, by goodness, it is true. Tell Antonio to man up and quit faking stuff.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Yep.

If Burfict says it is true, by goodness, it is true. Tell Antonio to man up and quit faking stuff.

I wonder if he ever realizes how stupid he makes himself look...