Bengals vs Steelers : Preview
Following a bye after a close 34-27 loss to the Los Angles Chargers , The Bengals now take on AFC North Rival Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers coming off of a 24-19 loss against the Cleveland Browns. In their game against Los Angles , Joe Burrow threw 28-50 for 356 yds and three touchdowns. Two touchdowns were caught by Ja’Marr Chase and one by Tee Higgins .
Keys To The Game
Bengals
Offense – Joe Burrow + Ja’Marr Chase
Joe Burrow currently has 27 touchdown passes , tied for most in the league with Lamar Jackson and he also has 275 yds per game. Another danger to this strong Pittsburgh defense is Burrow’s number one weapon Ja’marr Chase. Chase leads the league with 1,056 yds and 12 touchdowns. This lethal combination of Burrow and Chase is gonna be a threat to the Steelers secondary , even though last week they gave up 85 yards to Jerry Jeudy .
Defense – Trey Hendrickson
The Bengals are going to have a challenge on their hands as they face a unexpectedly rejuvenated Russel Wilson . The Bengals are going to have to use their top Defensive edge Trey Hendrickson who currently 24 solo tackles, leads the league in sacks with 11.5 and has one forced fumble on the season . Hendrickson can also take advantage of the Pittsburgh O-line which has allowed three or more sacks in the last four straight games.
Steelers
Offense- Passing game
Last Week , Russell Wilson threw for 270 yds and a touchdown and on the season he has seven touchdowns and two interceptions. He is going to have to take advantage of the Bengals mediocre pass game that is 95.1 pass rate ranked 19th , and 225 ypg which is ranked 23rd in the league . Wilson is going to have hit target such as Calvin Austin ( three targets , three receptions and 78 yds one touchdown last week), George Pickens (seven targets ,four receptions and 48 yards) and Pat Freimuth (four targets four receptions and 59 yds). The Bengals secondary is banged up as well, so Russ might be able to take advantage.
Defense – Rush Defense
This season , the Steelers rush defense has held running backs to 3.9 Yards per carry which is seventh in the league. Last week they held Nick Chubb 3.0 yards per carry , but he scored two touchdowns. This week , the defense has to contain Chase Brown who has 55.2 yards per game and two touchdowns this season so far.
Prediction
Steelers 24 Bengals 21
CARDINALS AT VIKINGS : Two teams with their eyes on the NFC Playoffs meet up in Minnesota on Sunday. Kyler Murray and the Cardinals have been a pleasant surprise this season, and even though they lost to the Seahawks last week, but this explosive offense takes on a Viking team that has responded all season. I’m interested to see how Brian Flores gameplans against Kyler and how the Cardinals defend the Vikings high powered offense. This one has a chance to be a shootout.
EAGLES AT RAVENS : The showdown of the season, two elite dual threat quarterbacks, two elite running backs (who Jerry Jones should’ve signed) and two really good defenses will get together when the Eagles and Ravens play Sunday. The Eagles have won six straight and the Saquon/Hurts duo has been sensational this season. But this might be an AJ Brown game against the 32nd ranked pass defense. As for Baltimore they’re coming off a win in the Harbaugh Bowl. The Lamar Jackson/ Derrick Henry duo is just as solid as Saquon/Hurts. So this game might come down to which defense can make a stop.
49ERS AT BILLS : The banged up Niners go to Buffalo to play the Bills. The Niners will be without Nick Bosa, Aaron Banks, Dre Greenlaw, Deommodore Lenoir and potentially Brock Purdy. With their season on the line, the Niners are going to need the guys they do have and their coach to have their best week of the season. The Bills have been a force this season. Josh Allen is playing the best football of his career in my opinion, and the team has been on a mission. How will the Niners defense defend Allen? Whoever is playing quarterback for the Niners, the Bills defense will be aggressive against their banged up O line.
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