The Pittsburgh Steelers enter Week 3 at 1-1 and looking to avoid a second consecutive loss. In order to get to 2-1, they’ll have to defeat the unbeaten Cincinnati Bengals. who are coming off a dominant 20-6 win over the Houston Texans. Will Pittsburgh bounce back? Here is how our staff sees things going down.
Mike Nicastro (2-0): Mike Nicastro: The Steelers face an early season critical juncture when their AFC North rival comes to town. So far through two weeks the offense has been less than inspiring,
and the Bengals revamped defense looks to be for real. All signs point to Cincy, but nothing is given in this league. I think the return of Michael Pittman Jr. will allow Aaron Rodgers to have a safety blanket, as DK Metcalf has lost that title. Rico Dowdle’s injury will work as a blessing in disguise, as it’ll force them to use Jaylen Warren 80% of the time, which should have always been the case. Somehow the offense wakes up, just when they’ve been left for dead, and the front seven continues their reign of terror against Joe Burrow and his ailing back. Steelers 24, Bengals 23.
Ryan Parish (1-1): Heading into the season, I was fairly certain these two teams would split the season series. While I still believe that, I initially thought Pittsburgh was more likely to win the first contest while the Bengals adjusted to their new look defense and the changes to their offense they proclaimed were coming. Now, though, the Steelers look like the team still needing to figure themselves out. I think it’ll be a better showing than last week, but I’m not ready to buy into the Steelers further until they can show a pulse and some semblance of a plan on the offensive side of the ball. Bengals 17, Steelers 9.
Ryland Bickley (1-1): The Bengals’ offense is better than what the Steelers’ defense has faced this year, and I’d be worried about how the still-developing Pittsburgh offensive line handles game-wrecking nose tackle Dexter Lawrence. I fully expect the Steelers to be a somewhat improved team from last week’s painful loss, but it’s hard to be too optimistic. It’s an early-season divisional game — there could be some surprises — but I expect Cincinnati to emerge with the win. Bengals 24, Steelers 20.
Austin Bechtold (2-0): Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins will be too much to handle for the Steelers, especially with Joey Porter Jr. unlikely to play. Does anyone trust the offense right now? I certainly don’t. Mike McCarthy’s offense has scored fewer points in his first two games than Matt Canada and Arthur Smith’s offenses. Not great. Shuffling the offensive line and giving Max Iheanachor a shot is a good change. I want to see Germie Bernard continue to get comfortable with Aaron Rodgers after a good debut last week. The Steelers keep it close at times, but the struggles on offense will remain. Bengals 24, Steelers 17.
Joey Bray (2-0): These teams appear to be on different timelines right now. Cincinnati is 2-0 with what looks to be a massively improved defense headlined by Dexter Lawrence with a high powered offense that hasn’t found its top speed yet. Pittsburgh seems to be sputtering and hanging on for dear life offensively. It’s hard for me to imagine this game goes well for Pittsburgh even though it’s an early season divisional matchup at home. Until Pittsburgh’s offensive line and run game shows serious improvement, it’s almost impossible to trust them to put up many points especially against a quality defense. Bengals 28, Steelers 10.
Jarrett Bailey (1-1): Everything says the Steelers will lose this game, and if you’re picking with your brain, you’d probably pick the Bengals. However, Pittsburgh’s defense has been tremendous through two games. And while Ja’Marr Chase and Joe Burrow hooked up for two scores last week, the Bengals put up just 20 points. In a low-scoring game, the Steelers find a way. Steelers 20, Bengals 17.
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- Joey Porter Jr unlikely to play in Week 3 vs. Bengals
- Steelers RB Rico Dowdle OUT vs. Bengals
- Steelers continue to move towards lineup change on offensive line
- Massive trade idea sends Joey Porter, DK Metcalf to Detroit Lions
- Steelers RG Spencer Anderson suffers bone break
