Steelers and Bengals meet in an AFC North showdown
Sunday Night Football wraps up the day with a divisional matchup between Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. The Steelers and Bengals are both 6-2, and after several entertaining Sunday night games lately, this one looks promising too.
Pittsburgh has started strongly under its new coach, though its road record is a less convincing 2-2. The Steelers are coming off a bye and had won four in a row before it, beating the Colts, Buccaneers, Saints and Browns. Those are wins, of course, but the quality of that run is open to question. Pittsburgh’s other loss came against New England.
The schedule ahead looks manageable in places, with games against Philadelphia, Baltimore twice, Carolina and Tennessee. A three-game stretch against Denver, Houston and Jacksonville could be a much tougher test.
Cincinnati is also riding a four-game winning streak, having beaten Miami, Baltimore, Tennessee and Atlanta. Its two losses came against Pittsburgh and Jacksonville. The Bengals have also defeated Tampa Bay and Houston, but it’s fair to say they haven’t faced a particularly daunting set of opponents lately.
Joe Burrow has been excellent, and Cincinnati has plenty of talent, but the ground game remains a concern. Both of the team’s main running backs are averaging fewer than four yards per carry. They’ve combined for two touchdowns, while Burrow has scored three himself. The Bengals can lean on their quarterback for a lot, but at some point, the running game needs to contribute. Defenses that sit back and focus on coverage could make life difficult.
The Bengals return from Spain after a comfortable win over Atlanta last week. Playing at home should help, though the travel is still worth keeping in mind. Cincinnati is 11-6 straight up and 9-8 against the spread. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, ranks third in the league against the run, so this may not be the game where the Bengals’ rushing attack suddenly takes off.
I lean toward Cincinnati covering, but there are enough reasons to like Pittsburgh that I’m not fully sold. The over feels like the better pick: the Bengals are comfortable in a shootout, and the Steelers’ defense has been less imposing on the road and against capable quarterbacks. I’ll take the over, with a strong lean toward Cincinnati.
