Game Thread: Week 15 @ Bengals

[ATL96Steeler]

A 4th consecutive win coupled with BAL losing @ NE on MNF, the Steelers have reclaimed 1st place in the North. It's been a while so it feels good to say it. But in reality with 3 games left nothing has been accomplished yet. The Ravens are only one game back.

Two of those three games will be it PIT, but this week they hit the road again for the rematch with the Bengals. Obviously a lot had happened to both teams since the 1st game in week 2. CIN had a tie and loss 3 in a row, and of course PIT loss 4 in a row, but both come into this game on winning streaks.

The Bengals rank 23rd on OFC and 11th on DEF (points). In fact since that 27-27 tie vs WAS, the Bengals have not allowed an opponent over 21 pts and the last 4 games no one has gotten out of the teens against them so they have played up to their talent level on DEF lately.

Injuries...Hargrave, and Finney are both in concussion protocol according to Steeler Depot but I'm not seeing that anywhere else. Foster (chest) is still listed as questionable. DWill (knee) also questionable, Tomlin has said, he likes where DWill is with his knee, maybe he gets a helmet this week after Bell toiled for 230+ last game. I typically don't get into the opposing teams injuries much, but it's reported that AJ Green is practices today...not sure what that means, but it's out there.

Outlook...obviously these teams know each other pretty well. L. Green, Bell, Eifert and Burfict did not play in the 1st meeting. Since Eifert has returned from injury he has been one of Dalton's key targets. Whether Green plays or not, Tyler Boyd I expect to be a factor in this game. That said, the way the OL is playing. Bell running and receiving, Haley/Ben spreading the ball around, I just think the Steelers have the upper hand vs any DEF right now. Adding to that, the DEF has grown up a lot since the bye, and Butler is rewarding that growth with more aggressive play calls to get sacks and force turnovers.

Should be a wintery day in CIN to keep the scores down, but I like the Steelers to keep it rolling 24-20.

What say you?

 

[cincygrad]

I think the Steelers win 27-20.

I'm not buying that the Bengals D has improved enough over the past month - I think it's been more of a function of them playing the Giants, Bills, Ravens, Eagles and Browns. Those are 5 crappy offenses..... And they still looked lost at times against some of them. Burfict has been playing great and Atkins has started to cause some damage..... But they aren't getting anything from the edge rushers and the secondary has struggled with communication/coverage all season. They've also had more trouble against the run then at anytime in the past 5 or 6 years.... Probably showing some age along that D-Line. I think Bell is a horrible match-up for them and I expect Pittsburgh to move the ball easily.

The offense is getting better every week and I think most of that is due to the fact that they benched the liability at right tackle and the young receivers are getting experience. If AJ were at full-strength, this might be a somewhat dangerous offensive team. But he's not, and I think it will show.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

I think the Steelers win 27-20.

I'm not buying that the Bengals D has improved enough over the past month - I think it's been more of a function of them playing the Giants, Bills, Ravens, Eagles and Browns. Those are 5 crappy offenses..... And they still looked lost at times against some of them. Burfict has been playing great and Atkins has started to cause some damage..... But they aren't getting anything from the edge rushers and the secondary has struggled with communication/coverage all season. They've also had more trouble against the run then at anytime in the past 5 or 6 years.... Probably showing some age along that D-Line. I think Bell is a horrible match-up for them and I expect Pittsburgh to move the ball easily.

The offense is getting better every week and I think most of that is due to the fact that they benched the liability at right tackle and the young receivers are getting experience. If AJ were at full-strength, this might be a somewhat dangerous offensive team. But he's not, and I think it will show.

Good point on the opponents, but the same can be said about the Steelers D...faced the pretty much the same teams outside of BAL over the last month, and IND was playing a QB with his 1st NFL start.

I'm surprised Dunlap's production dropped off this year.

 

[cincygrad]

Good point on the opponents, but the same can be said about the Steelers D...faced the pretty much the same teams outside of BAL over the last month, and IND was playing a QB with his 1st NFL start.

I'm surprised Dunlap's production dropped off this year.

Dunlap has been good, but I get the sense that he's getting double teamed and schemed for.....Michael Johnson has been a ghost. And the young guys behind him haven't stepped up.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Dunlap has been good, but I get the sense that he's getting double teamed and schemed for.....Michael Johnson has been a ghost. And the young guys behind him haven't stepped up.

You're right...not bad for Dunlap. That's the team fan for ya..., you see them all. I only saw 3 Bengals games this year...PIT, DAL, WAS...thinking he's having a down year....could still get dbl digit sacks.

Johnson 2.0 hasn't been nearly as good.

 

[cincygrad]

Dunlap has a ridiculous number of batted balls - 14 passes defended on the season. He's been a force, even though he only has 7 sacks. For some reason we have the Tampa Michael Johnson this season - I wonder if he's hurt.

 

[Ewa PGH Fan]

Due to the weather forecast I'm going with 24-14 Steelers.

 

[Psych-Ward]

Here is the current injury report for the Steelers' Week 15 game vs. Cincinnati.

DID NOT PARTICIPATE
WR Darrius Heyward-Bey (Foot)
S Shamarko Thomas (Concussion)
RB DeAngelo Williams (Knee)

LIMITED PARTICIPATION
No players listed

FULL PARTICIPATION
C B.J. Finney (Concussion)
G Ramon Foster (Chest)
T Marcus Gilbert (Ankle)
DT Javon Hargrave (Concussion)

DID NOT PARTICIPATE
DE Wallace Gilberry (Calf)
DE Margus Hunt (Not Injury Related)

LIMITED PARTICIPATION

G Clint Boling (Shoulder)
WR A.J. Green (Hamstring)
S Derron Smith (Thigh)
TE C.J. Uzomah (Calf)

FULL PARTICIPATION

DE Carlos Dunlap (Neck)
LS Clark Harris (Groin)
CB Adam Jones (Ankle)
WR Brandon LaFell (Knee)
WR James Wright (Knee)

 

[Psych-Ward]

Got the drop on @FaCe-LeE-uS with the injury list again.....

 

[ATL96Steeler]

It's the west coast time zone man!

Face is probably just getting out of the shower...

I was hoping DWill would be ready to go this week to take a few snaps off Bell's plate after going for nearly 300 total yds this week, but I guess not...I was hearing he would be good to go this week.

Hargrave and Finney are both still in protocol but practicing fully...don't get that.

 

[Psych-Ward]

It's the west coast time zone man!

Face is probably just getting out of the shower...

I was hoping DWill would be ready to go this week to take a few snaps off Bell's plate after going for nearly 300 total yds this week, but I guess not...I was hearing he would be good to go this week.

Hargrave and Finney are both still in protocol but practicing fully...don't get that.

WTF is he doing over there????

Honestly, and IMO I'm glad DWill is holding off another week. The Bungholes have taken Bell out the last two seasons. Hoping it doesn't happen again this year, but if something should happen, DWill can and will be back next week.

But we just need to come out of this one healthy!!!!

 

[Psych-Ward]

@ATL96Steeler

Just got an alert on my phone, in fact DWill participated in todays practice and is on the active roster now....

This is good news but I hate to see both of them get hurt because of Shitcinnati.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

WTF is he doing over there????

Honestly, and IMO I'm glad DWill is holding off another week. The Bungholes have taken Bell out the last two seasons. Hoping it doesn't happen again this year, but if something should happen, DWill can and will be back next week.

But we just need to come out of this one healthy!!!!

IDK...I think he got a big gig out there a few months ago and left the 'Burg.

I know...hopefully they all get out of CIN in one piece.

 

[cincygrad]

AJ Green is now doubtful for Sunday. Even if he played, I wouldn't assume he would be 100%, but now it looks like he'll be in street clothes. Tough break for the Bengals..... When healthy, he's a tough match up for Pittsburgh.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Offense... Haley will probably try to ride the hot hand this week with Bell, especially with winter weather on the horizon, so you can bet Cincy's D is going to prioritize shutting him down. O-line has been road-grating so lets hope they can win some battles to keep the chains moving (Both Foster & Finney are on track to play). Adam Jones appeared to have gotten the upper hand on AB last time they squared off so Ben will need his 3rd & 4th options to step up big. If you recall the last meeting, all 3 of the Steelers' touchdowns came through the air. Ladarius Green we know will be one of those 3rd/4th options, so Rodgers & whomever else will need to contribute. I'd like to say we see another emergence of Coates, but judging by his whopping 1 snap with the offense last week its hard to imagine that happening. Hamilton played 20+ snaps but don't remember any targets, but he is the superior blocker out of the 2 and since Bell was running wild they obviously utilized him over Coates. Look for that trend to continue. Maybe they are quietly letting Coates get his fingers healthy so they can use him as an X-factor at some point when they need it.

Defense... We know AJ Green is less than 100%, but even when he was healthy Cockrell was able to phase him out last time. We've seen a lot of growth from Burns to this point so he will be up to the task as well for whatever Cincy lines up in front of him. Hoping to see Butler keep the pass rush dialed up because last time he didn't rush much at Dalton, and Dalton racked up 366yds through the air. Majority of that came in the form of 100yds receiving from his scat-back Bernard. Bernard won't be playing in this game, but I still think the pass rush needs to get after it. They cannot let Dalton get comfortable on his home field. D-line has been a disruptive force lately and they will need all the help they can get. Hargrave might be ready to go, but still needs to clear concussion protocol. If Shazier, Dupree & Timmons can continue to make splash plays, then the turnovers will happen. They just have to be patient. Keep your eyes on Eifert because Dalton has been leaning on him. Davis & Mitchell will need to respect him near the RZ.

Overall... If we have learned anything about these divisional rivalries over the past decade or so, its usually that we can expect the unexpected. We know what both units are capable of so it boils down to who is hungrier. Even though the Bengals chances of the postseason are slim to none, they still can play spoiler to the Steelers this week. This game worries me mainly for the injury history this matchup has had. Would really suck to see anyone go down this close to January football. Fingers crossed we see a clean game with a healthy team coming out of it.

Mind the juju...

CIN 28 - PIT 20

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Got the drop on @FaCe-LeE-uS with the injury list again.....

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

AJ Green is now doubtful for Sunday. Even if he played, I wouldn't assume he would be 100%, but now it looks like he'll be in street clothes. Tough break for the Bengals..... When healthy, he's a tough match up for Pittsburgh.

Cockrell did a great job phasing him out of the last matchup. He only had 2 catches for 38yds. But its difficult to continue to have that sort of success against AJ Green, who in my mind is easily top 3-5 WR in the league. He's eventually going to win his matchups no matter what you do. Can't think of many, if any, other WRs in the league that are better at high-pointing the ball.

Looks like LaFell is healthy at least. Dalton will need all the help he can get this week.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

AJ Green is now doubtful for Sunday. Even if he played, I wouldn't assume he would be 100%, but now it looks like he'll be in street clothes. Tough break for the Bengals..... When healthy, he's a tough match up for Pittsburgh.

I think Green is a tough match up for any team (top 5 imo), but hammys are not quick to come back from whether it's a severe strain or slight tear...you're right he wouldn't have been 100% and with the cold weather probably in his best interest not to test it. Steelers do catch a break there. I know the Bengals are still alive technically, but I would have sat him too.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

They cannot let Dalton get comfortable on his home field.

Good post...That in bold is the key to this game for the Steelers.

Minding the Juju is working so keep it rolling!

 

[Cali Steel]

Defense didnt look too hot on that first Cincy drive.