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A lot has changed since the last meeting between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals, a Week 10 matchup that the Steelers won handily, 36-10. Following an 11-0 start, Pittsburgh suffered consecutive losses to the Washington Football Team in Week 13 and the Buffalo Bills in Week 14 to fall to 11-2 and lag behind the Kansas City Chiefs in the race for the AFC’s top seed.
While the loss to Washington involved a comeback and was one of the season’s biggest upsets, Pittsburgh was dominated in Sunday’s 26-15 loss to the Bills, who moved up to 10-3 after the win and could challenge them for the second spot in the AFC. The Steelers are already assured of returning to the playoffs after a two-year absence, but they still need a win or a loss by the 9-4 Cleveland Browns to secure the AFC North title. A game against the 2-10-1 Bengals could provide the Steelers with that much-needed victory.
Another difference in the second meeting of the season between the AFC North rivals is that the Bengals no longer have 2020 No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow as their quarterback after he suffered a season-ending injury. Cincinnati finds itself mired in a five-game losing streak, with three of the losses coming after Burrow’s injury. The latest defeat was a 30-7 blowout to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday in a game where they fell into an early 17-0 hole and never recovered.
With the Steelers facing the 9-4 Indianapolis Colts and the Browns in their last two games, a win against a struggling Bengals team should give them momentum while snapping a rare losing streak as they prepare for their return to the postseason. Here are four predictions when the Steelers visit the Bengals on Monday Night Football:
1. Ben Roethlisberger passes for 3 TDs
The Steelers’ offense has been a cause for concern in their most recent games, including in their losses to Washington and Buffalo. In their last three games, Pittsburgh averaged just 17 points, 5.4 passing yards per attempt, and 45.3 rushing yards—a far cry from their numbers earlier this season. On Sunday, Roethlisberger completed 21 of 37 passes for 187 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions, including a pick-six.
Ahead of the game against the Bengals, the two-time Super Bowl champion assured Steelers fans that they shouldn’t panic regarding the team’s struggles on offense.
“The season is not over,” Roethlisberger said, per ESPN’s Brooke Pryor. “I want everyone out there to just take a deep breath. I know it's kind of crazy right now. I just want everyone to take a deep breath. We've got time. That's my mindset too.”
A game against Cincinnati may be just what the 38-year-old signal-caller needs to get the Steelers' offense back on track. The Bengals give up an average of 382.3 yards per game and an average of 26 points per game, numbers that rank 24th and 22nd in the NFL, respectively. Roethlisberger’s numbers in his last game against the Bengals are encouraging, as he completed 27 of 46 passes for 333 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions in his best game of the season. Another big game against by Roethlisberger would go a long way towards assuring everyone that the Steelers' offense can flash its old form as they prepare for the postseason.
2. The running backs find their groove
While the Steelers' offense has generally struggled in recent weeks, it is their rushing attack that has taken a dive, as they averaged just 45.3 rush yards per game in the past three weeks and have surpassed 50 rushing yards just twice in their last seven games. Against the Bills, running backs James Conner, Jaylen Samuels, and Benny Snell combined for just 47 rushing yards as Buffalo’s defense focused on slowing down the Steelers' passing game in the loss.
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But as with their passing attack, a meeting with the Bengals could also provide the remedy for the struggles in their rushing game. Cincinnati gives up an average of 131.7 rushing yards per game, a number that puts them at 28th in the NFL. That should be good news for Conner, Snell, and Samuels, who have had their struggles and have not scored a touchdown in the last three weeks. Against a porous Bengals defense on Monday, Pittsburgh’s running backs should rush for more than 60 yards and break their drought by finally scoring a touchdown.
3. The defense holds the Bengals below 15 points
Even after consecutive losses, Pittsburgh’s defense still ranks among the best in the NFL in almost every category. They lead the league by holding opponents to an average of just 18.2 points per game, rank second in average passing yards allowed per game at 202.2, and third in total yards allowed per game at 303.1.
They should have no problem handling an anemic Bengals offense that averaged just 10 points during their five game losing streak. In their previous meeting, Pittsburgh limited Burrow as the 2019 Heisman Trophy winner completed just 21 of 40 passes for 213 yards and one touchdown while being sacked four times. With Burrow out for the season, it will be either Brandon Allen or Ryan Finley who will be under center against the Steelers on Monday.
Allen suffered a knee injury in the Bengals’ loss to the Cowboys and has not been able to practice this week, making Finley the likely starter at quarterback against Pittsburgh. But that could also a rough night for the 2019 fourth-round draft pick, as Finley faces one of the league's best defenses that has 45 sacks through 13 games and is more than capable of holding them below 15 points.
4. The Steelers end their two-game slide and pick up a win
A Monday Night Football game against the lowly Bengals presents the Steelers with an opportunity to regain their bearings and fix their issues before two important games against the Colts and Browns in Weeks 16 and 17. Head coach Mike Tomlin, Roethlisberger, and the rest of the team understands that if they are serious about their Super Bowl aspirations, they need to play better than they did against Washington and Buffalo.
That starts with an improved play from their offense, which looked out of sorts in recent weeks after a strong start this season. But if Pittsburgh is able to play like they did against the Bengals a month ago, back when they still looked like they would finish the season undefeated, then picking up their 12th win and ending a two-game slide shouldn’t be a problem. The victory will be an important one, as it secures the division title while giving them a slight lead over the Bills in the AFC playoff race. But more importantly, it will help them address issues on both ends as they prepare for games against other playoff teams.
