The Pittsburgh Steelers enter their Week 11 rematch with the Cincinnati Bengals as consensus 5.5-point favorites, per VSiN. Despite the Steelers dropping their first game against the Bengals in Cincinnati and struggling to do much of anything offensively in their Week 10 loss against the Los Angeles Chargers, Vegas expects a bounce-back game from the Steelers.
The Steelers lost 33-31 to the Bengals in Week 7, one of the team’s worst defensive performances this season. Both teams look different heading into Week 11, as the Bengals traded away longtime defensive captain Logan Wilson, while the Steelers acquired Kyle Dugger, with S DeShon Elliott currently injured. But the key players remain – Joe Flacco for the Bengals and Aaron Rodgers for the Steelers.
Flacco has continued to play well, but Cincinnati’s defense has let him down. The Bengals are coming off a bye in Week 10. Before it, they dropped their two games after their win over Pittsburgh. They lost 39-38 to the New York Jets, which was the Jets’ first win of the season. The Bengals blew a fourth-quarter lead in that contest. They blew another fourth-quarter lead in Week 9 against the Chicago Bears, losing 47-42.
The Steelers put up 31 points on the Cincinnati defense, and it’s only gotten worse. But the Steelers are coming off their worst offensive performance of the season, losing 25-10 to the Los Angeles Chargers. The only touchdown by the Steelers came in garbage time, and Aaron Rodgers played one of the worst games of his career.
Week 11 could be a good opportunity for the Steelers to bounce back. But it could also be a game where a rejuvenated Bengals defense takes advantage of a cold Pittsburgh offense. It’s a little bit surprising to see the Steelers as such heavy favorites, but they are back at Acrisure Stadium. The Week 7 loss to the Bengals was at Paycor Stadium, and Pittsburgh’s Week 10 loss was also on the road. Last time the Steelers played at Acrisure Stadium, they upset the Indianapolis Colts in a Week 9 win. The home crowd should be rocking with a 1:00 kickoff on Sunday.
The Steelers are 5-4 and lead the AFC North, but the Baltimore Ravens are 4-5, having won three straight games. Securing another divisional win over the Bengals would be huge for the Steelers as they attempt to maintain their lead in the AFC North. Vegas fully expects that to happen.
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