Year after year, these two AFC North rivals display some of the most physical football played in the league and shouldn't be expected to be any different when the Cincinnati Bengals travel to the Steel City to do war with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Join us for our NFL odds series where our Bengals-Steelers prediction and pick will be made.
Fresh off of a bye a week ago, the rested Bengals enter play with a 5-4 record which is good enough for second place in the AFC North. With another opportunity to remind everyone why they are the AFC defending champs, can the Bengals keep marching along against the Steelers?
Although they come into this one at 3-6, the Steelers have all the momentum in the world after securing a hard-earned victory at home over the New Orleans Saints. In addition, the Steelers also played the role of spoiler during the opening week of the season when Pittsburgh was able to shock the Bengals on the road 23-20. Now heading home with the terrible towels waving at a full frenzy, do the Steelers have what it takes to pull it off again?
Here are the Bengals-Steelers NFL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NFL Odds: Bengals-Steelers Odds
Cincinnati Bengals: -3.5 (-115)
Pittsburgh Steelers: +3.5 (-105)
Over: 40.5 (-108)
Under: 40.5 (-112)
Why The Bengals Could Cover The Spread
We last saw Cincinnati drop 42 points on a pedestrian Panthers defense but it was a spectacular outing nonetheless. Even more so, it was a relief to see QB Joe Burrow have his way with an opposing defense after a dreadful performance in the loss to the Browns. All in all, this is a Bengals squad that is extremely lethal even with WR Ja'Marr Chase remaining to be held out due to injury. The last time the Bengals faced off with the Steelers, Cincinnati did not do a good enough job of taking care of the football. Glaringly enough, Burrow threw a whopping four interceptions as the Bengals had five total turnovers in comparison to the mistake-free Steelers. Simply put, playing carelessly cost Cincy in that one, and should be a completely different-looking team with their first meeting with Pittsburgh taking place nearly ten weeks ago.
Outside of playing clean ball, let's not forget how RB Joe Mixon absolutely shredded the Panthers the last time he saw action. In that one, the dynamic Mixon logged 153 rushing yards and an absurd five total touchdowns en route to the blowout victory. No question, it will be difficult that kind of production in back-to-back games, but with the hot hand, Mixon can help squash the narrative that the Bengals are just your average pass-happy team.
Although shorthanded in the secondary, the Bengals' defense should also have a considerable advantage in going up against a Steelers' offense that is going through growing pains with a young quarterback at the helm. Pittsburgh only generated 267 yards of total offense in the first meeting, and the Bengals are giving up only 333 yards per game.
Why The Steelers Could Cover The Spread
In what has been a rebuilding year of sorts for the first time in decades under longtime head coach Mike Tomlin, the Steelers are definitely playing beyond this season and are trying to figure out what they have in QB Kenny Pickett. Although Pickett's numbers don't jump out at you, the intangibles are certainly there which is intriguing to this organization and its fans. In playing the Bengals, Pittsburgh will be anticipating for points to be scored galore, so it is a must for Pickett to get into a rhythm to help the Steelers keep pace at covering the spread.
Yes, this game might end up falling on the shoulders of Kenny Pickett, but it is more than encouraging to see Najee Harris have his best game of the season against the Saints. With his 20 carries total of 99 yards, Harris has still not finished a game over the century mark in rushing, but his 5.0 yards per carry versus New Orleans is definitely a step up from his season average of 3.6 YPC. With that being said, getting Harris' feet wet early will possibly prove to be the difference-maker in this heated divisional contest.
On the other side of the ball, Pittsburgh has been shaky with their pass defense which may raise some red flags, but their run defense has certainly been their strong point this year. This was on full display against the Saints where Pittsburgh stuffed All-Pro halfback Alvin Kamara by holding him to only 26 yards on eight carries. While it may be difficult to slow down Burrow and the boys, the Steelers should prioritize stopping Mixon after his explosion two weeks ago.
Final Bengals-Steelers Prediction & Pick
Consequently, the Steelers won't get as lucky as they did when they forced a plethora of Bengals turnovers in week one. In fact, Cincinnati still had every shot to win that game even with how badly they played. Side with the Bengals to seek and receive vengeance on Sunday.
Final Bengals-Steelers Prediction & Pick: Bengals -3.5 (-115)
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