The Pittsburgh Steelers Week 12 matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals is a divisional game on Thanksgiving weekend that is sure to be one of the best games on the slate. With a four and a half point spread that favors the home Bengals, the Steelers come into this one as the underdog.
That makes sense as Cincinnati already went up to Pittsburgh earlier this season in Week 3 and won the game by two touchdowns. The slight momentum that the Bengals have built from that game pails in comparison, though, to the all-time Steelers-Bengals scoreboard as Pittsburgh has 67 wins to just 37 for Cincinnati.
For more insight on the Steelers' Week 12 matchup against the Bengals, listen below:
Let's make some predictions for the Steelers against the Bengals in Week 12.
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Pittsburgh Steelers Week 12 Predictions
4. Diontae Johnson will have his best game of the season
In the Steelers' first matchup with the Bengals, Johnson missed the game–his only missed game of the year. If the Steelers are going to hope for better results this time, they probably should feed Johnson the rock. Coming off his first game of the 2021 season in which he eclipsed the 100-yard mark and scored a touchdown, Johnson is heating up at the right time for this Steelers squad. He has been a fantasy stalwart for his team in 2021 and this game is his chance to make an even bigger name for himself.
With this game as a must-win for both teams that are hoping to stay close to the first-place Baltimore Ravens, and with it being the second time these two teams have met in 2021, expect the emotions and tempers to be high in this one. For someone like Johnson, who has had drop issues in the past–that can be problematic, but what will likely be the answer to his conundrums is that the Bengals' secondary is atrocious (25th in the league in passing yards per game allowed).
3. Cam Heyward will have two sacks
Cam Heyward has had an interesting couple of weeks. First, in the brutal tie to the Detroit Lions two weeks ago, Heyward recorded his first two-sack game of the year. Then, against the Los Angeles Chargers last week, Heyward was accused of punching Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert in the ribs.
While the “punch” may have been overblown, the sting is still there for Heyward who has always been known as a model citizen on the field. That will be just the little bit of extra motivation that the superstar needs to get to multiple two-sack games in three weeks.
2. Ben Roethlisberger will be error-free
While Roethlisberger has been on a five-game streak with zero interceptions, it has been his mistake of holding onto the football that has hurt his team recently. In the past five weeks, Roethlisberger has managed to get sacked a whopping 11 times. That number must come down to less than once per game because it keeps the other team in the ballgame almost as much as an interception, as it constantly puts you behind in down and distance.
This week, however, we are predicting that the Bengals get zero sacks on Roethlisberger–something that has yet to happen in 2021 as “Big Ben” has been sacked in every single Steelers game so far. If that changes this week and Roethlisberger can keep his jersey clean, and the Steelers can hit the first two marks on this list, then our fourth prediction will easily fall into place.
1. The Steelers will not only cover the spread, but they will win the game
Up until a big win last week against the Las Vegas Raiders, the Bengals had been struggling to play consistent football, especially on defense. We do not expect that to change much this week, as the Steelers offense has been clicking into gear recently. On defense, the Steelers have struggled to stop good passing teams and this week will be no different. The Bengals will attack through the air and so will the Steelers, with both teams being mediocre at running the ball in 2021.
In the end, we expect this game to go well over the total of 45 points and the Steelers to come away with the victory, 37-34. The Bengals will have the ball with a chance to tie the game with a field goal, but the minimal time and zero timeouts are too much for Joe Burrow and the Bengals to overcome. T.J Watt will knock down a fourth-down pass from Burrows at the line of scrimmage and the Steelers will take over and run out the clock. The season series will go to 1-1 and the teams will flip-flop spots in the divisional standings.