This is as big of a home game as it gets for the Cincinnati Bengals. It’s mid-November, against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and first place in the AFC North is on the line. Both the Bengals and Steelers are 6-2 and have both won four straight games. Not to mention, these two teams have already played this season. It was in Week 3, with the Steelers winning 30-27 in Pittsburgh.
Right now on FanDuel, the Bengals are 3.5-point favorites next Sunday night. The Bengals’ moneyline is -200, while the Steelers’
is at +168. The over/under is at 47.5.
Sunday night could be an extremely physical game. It’s an AFC North rivalry with sole possession of first place in the division at stake. Also, it’s the Bengals and Steelers. That’s all you need to know for the potential level of physicality.
Pittsburgh stole the first game against the Bengals, aided by two Bengals turnovers in the fourth quarter that included Joe Burrow getting strip-sacked with the Bengals on the edge of field goal range in the final minute. The Bengals never ran an offensive play with the lead in that game, but there were some great performances from their star players. Joe Burrow was 28/37 for 282 yards and three touchdowns, Ja’Marr Chase caught nine passes for 98 yards and a touchdown, and Tee Higgins hauled in six passes for 90 yards and a touchdown. Mike Gesicki also caught a 25-yard touchdown on 4th&2 early in the fourth quarter.
For the Steelers, Aaron Rodgers completed 19 of 34 passes for 292 yards and three touchdowns, while Jaylen Warren rushed for 127 yards on 17 carries. Eight different players caught a pass for the Steelers, with Darnell Washington leading the way with 67 receiving yards on three receptions. Roman Wilson, D.K. Metcalf, and Ben Skowronek each caught a touchdown for the Steelers.
Rodgers currently has 1,871 passing yards and 13 touchdowns on the season, but he’s also thrown six interceptions and is completing just 60.8 percent of his passes. Warren has 704 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while Washington and fellow tight end Pat Friermuth lead the Steelers with three and four touchdowns, respectively. T.J. Watt, as of Sunday night, leads the NFL with 7.5 sacks, and he also has nine tackles for loss. Cornerback Jamel Dean also has three forced fumbles.
Bengals right tackle Amarius Mims held T.J. Watt off the stat sheet in that game, which bodes well going into Sunday night. The Bengals’ offense scored on five of their eight drives in the first meeting in Week 3, gaining 352 yards of offense and rushing for 83 yards on 18 carries. Chase Brown rushed for 61 yards on 13 carries.
