The Cincinnati Bengals ride into town fresh off of a bye week, having dropped two bad games to the New York Jets and Chicago Bears in late-game dramatics. The Pittsburgh Steelers, on the other hand, return home licking their wounds after an embarrassing Sunday Night Football showing on the West Coast.
Cincinnati might have an extra pep in their step with Joe Burrow returning to practice, while the Steelers are seemingly still trying to figure out who they are and what works with the talent they have. Things don’t line up well for the men of steel.
And yet, that’s why they play the games. AFC North football, you toss out the records and recent performances. The Steelers desperately need this one, as do the Bengals if they want to keep any hope alive for when Burrow returns. Something’s got to give.
Following what we did last year here at Steelers Depot, myself, Joe Clark, Ross McCorkle, Scott Brown, Troy Montgomery, Jake Brockhoff and Dr. Melanie Friedlander will answer four key questions weekly, previewing the games.
Let’s talk about the Steelers’ Week 11 matchup at Acrisure Stadium against the Bengals.
QUESTION 1: WHO IS THE STEELERS’ X FACTOR AGAINST THE BENGALS?
Josh Carney: TE Pat Freiermuth. There’s just something about playing the Bengals for Freiermuth that leads to big performances. In Week 7, Freiermuth went off for five receptions, 111 yards and two touchdowns, including a 68-yarder for a late lead. Now, he needs to do it again. The Steelers need the added weapon in the passing game to free up DK Metcalf. Freiermuth has to be able to win over the middle against a pair of rookie linebackers.
Joe Clark: WR Calvin Austin III. He had a bad game against the Chargers, and Roman Wilson is earning more opportunities. Austin missed Pittsburgh’s last matchup against the Bengals, and this is a chance for him to prove he can still be a playmaker. He’s had flashes this year but there hasn’t been any consistency, and against a weak Bengals secondary, Austin will have an opportunity for a big game.
Ross McCorkle: ILB Payton Wilson. They will spend a lot of time in nickel, and Wilson has been the guy in that package. They need to be able to stop the run after what happened a few weeks ago. Wilson needs to play well against both the run and pass, or it could be another long day for the Steelers’ defense.
Scott Brown: WR Roman Wilson. Calvin Austin III is at best a WR3. If there is a potential WR2 on the Steelers, it is Wilson. The 2024 third-round pick has shown glimpses after injuries sabotaged his rookie season. And the Steelers desperately need him to emerge. It won’t get any easier than against an atrocious Bengals defense that allows 260 passing yards a game.
Troy Montgomery: S Jalen Ramsey. Ramsey had a rough day at the office the last time the Steelers played the Bengals. However, he was playing more corner then. Now, he’s primarily a safety, and that’s been a boost for the Steelers’ defense. We’ll see if his position switch helps the Steelers better contain the Bengals’ passing attack.
Jake Brockhoff: CB James Pierre. Pierre hasn’t really gotten any meaningful playing time this year, but he saw some action with Darius Slay suffering an injury last week. Slay is in concussion protocol, so he may have to miss Sunday’s game. Whether he does or not, Pierre needs more playing time. He’s allowed just four completions on 13 targets, and has a whopping six passes defended on just 110 snaps. Plus, the Steelers need to try something different against an offense that cooked them a few weeks ago. That something different should be Pierre.
Dr. Melanie Friedlander: The entire Steelers secondary. The starting lineup for this group has changed almost entirely since the start of the season, in part due to injury but also due to poor performance (Juan Thornhill isn’t even on the roster anymore). CB Joey Porter Jr mentioned that the defensive backs aren’t sure yet what the plan is but they will be ready. That is not exactly reassuring for a team that will be facing a potent passing attack of QB Joe Flacco and WRs Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
QUESTION 2: WHAT IS THE MATCHUP TO WATCH IN STEELERS-BENGALS?
Josh Carney: DL Keeanu Benton vs. RG Jalen Rivers. There’s going to be so much attention on T.J. Watt, Nick Herbig, and Cameron Heyward up front, and rightfully so. That should leave Keeanu Benton in 1-on-1 matchups, especially in sub-package football. He’ll find himself over rookie guard Jalen Rivers in those situations, and he needs to win them consistently. Benton is playing great football as of late, and he needs to have another strong performance in an advantageous matchup.
Joe Clark: Steelers’ LBs vs. TE Noah Fant. Fant had four catches for 44 yards and a touchdown in Week 7. That’s far too much production out of him. Payton Wilson and Patrick Queen, or whoever is on Fant, can’t allow him to be a security blanket and make plays on Sunday. The Bengals have enough weapons to worry about, and when guys like Fant start hurting the Steelers, it’s usually a recipe for a loss.
Ross McCorkle: CB Brandin Echols vs. WR Andrei Iosivas. A little off the beaten path here, but the Steelers repeatedly referenced Iosivas’ big reception over Darius Slay as a reason they were hesitant to double up Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins at times last game. Those two receivers feel inevitable to a certain extent, so the Steelers need to make sure they aren’t getting beat elsewhere. Echols had a rough game against the Chargers and needs a bounce-back performance.
Scott Brown: OLB T.J. Watt vs. RT Amarius Mims. The 5-4 Steelers are 4-5 if Watt doesn’t strip-sack Daniel Jones in their 27-20 win over the Colts. And that was in the second quarter. That shows how impactful Watt can be despite opposing teams doing everything they can to minimize him. The Steelers need the perennial All-Pro to own Mims after a quiet game against him in Week 7.
Troy Montgomery: CB Joey Porter Jr. vs. WR Ja’Marr Chase. Porter has a rough history against the Bengals. He got called for a lot of penalties against them last year. He didn’t have much success against them earlier this season, either. Chase in particular had a massive day. He had some comments about how “handsy” Porter, too. Perhaps that will add some extra sparks to this matchup.
Jake Brockhoff: WR DK Metcalf vs CB DJ Turner II. This is the same matchup I chose the last time these teams played, and it was a pivotal one. Turner did well against Metcalf, including an incredible sideline interception. He’s really the only good defensive player the Bengals have with Trey Hendrickson injured, and should follow Metcalf around again on Sunday. If Metcalf can win this matchup, the Steelers’ offense will have a good day.
Dr. Melanie Friedlander: WR DK Metcalf vs. CB DJ Turner II. Last Sunday, the Chargers defense was effective in keeping Metcalf from impacting the game and the Steelers offense struggled mightily as a result. In their previous matchup against the Bengals, Metcalf had only three receptions on five targets but that included a long of 39 yards. It also included an unbelievable interception where Turner ripped the ball out of Metcalf’s hands on a sideline pass and managed to stay inbounds to complete the play. Even if Metcalf isn’t getting a ton of targets, he needs to be a factor in the game to open up the rest of the passing playbook.
QUESTION 3: WHAT IS THE BIGGEST KEY TO THE GAME FOR THE STEELERS?
Josh Carney: Run the football, possess the ball, keep the defense off the field. In the last matchup the Steelers ran the football for 147 yards on 20 carries. Aaron Rodgers had a great game, too. But in this one, the Steelers need to help out the defense and run the football, sustaining drives, winning weighted downs and keeping the high-powered Bengals offense off the field as much as possible. The Steelers have lost the TOP battle in the last four games. That has to change Sunday.
Joe Clark: Win on third down. The Steelers offense hasn’t been able to stay on the field. That has to change against the Bengals. Cincinnati’s defense is bad. If Pittsburgh can’t improve on third downs against this defense, my faith in the offense will plummet.
Ross McCorkle: Get Aaron Rodgers out of his funk early. The Steelers aren’t beating the Bengals in a horse race if Rodgers doesn’t play well, and last week was one of the worst of his career. Believe me when I say that I want Jaylen Warren heavily involved, but they need to snap Rodgers out of his funk with a deep connection to DK Metcalf or Calvin Austin III early.
Scott Brown: Dictate the terms in this one. Control the ball and relegate Ja’Marr Chase and Co. to largely watching from the sideline. Win the turnover battle. And don’t let Chase Brown run like Jim Brown this time around. Take out the Oct. 16 Bengals-Steelers game and his 3.9 yards per carry plummets to 3.2.
Troy Montgomery: Force someone else to beat you. Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins rocked the Steelers in their last meeting. Pittsburgh had no answers for either of them. The Steelers can’t allow the Bengals to release the sequel this week. They need to make someone other than those two beat them. That’s easier said than done, but the Steelers can’t do much worse than they did before.
Jake Brockhoff: Run the damn ball. Even if the Steelers’ defense makes adjustments from the last meeting between these two, we know the Bengals are going to score points. But the best way to keep the ball out of Flacco’s hands is to run it efficiently yourself. Jaylen Warren needs a ton of touches in this game. Control the clock, make life easier for Rodgers, and you’ll leave Acrisure Stadium with a win.
Dr. Melanie Friedlander: Tight ends are huge when playing Cincinnati. Pittsburgh tight ends typically have very good days against the Bengals. That was certainly true in their last meeting, where three tight ends caught touchdown passes. Pat Freiermuth racked up 111 receiving yards with two receiving touchdowns. The Bengals defense has struggled against opposing tight ends and the Steelers need to continue to exploit that.
QUESTION 4: WHAT IS YOUR PREDICTION FOR STEELERS VS. BENGALS?
Josh Carney: Last week was flat-out embarrassing, and the last game against the Bengals was a disaster. If this team has any pride, they’ll show up, playing an angry, physical brand of football, and play the type of game they’ve been searching for all year. Don’t count on it, though. Still, they find a way to win against a terrible Bengals defense. Steelers 34, Bengals 26
Joe Clark: Not looking forward to this defense facing the Bengals and Flacco again, but the offense should have a get-right game after two bad showings. It might not be pretty, but the Steelers come out on top. Steelers 30 Bengals 28
Ross McCorkle: Both teams are looking to overcome embarassment from their last games. There is no distinct edge in that regard, but the Bengals had an extra week to prepare coming off their bye. Joe Flacco has meant trouble for Pittsburgh, and I don’t necessarily see that changing this week. I am prepared for the worst. Bengals 28, Steelers 25.
Scott Brown: The Steelers are seething and won’t allow Joe Flacco to look like Joe Burrow again. Plus, they are at home in a non-primetime game. Steelers 27, Bengals 17
Troy Montgomery: The Steelers need this one. They’ve let their lead in the AFC North basically evaporate. Dropping another divisional game would hurt. I don’t think Aaron Rodgers is as bad as he looked last week, though. I like what I’ve seen from Pittsburgh’s defense recently, too. I’ll take the Steelers to bounce back and not let Joe Flacco’s Bengals sweep them. Steelers 30, Bengals 23
Jake Brockhoff: Joe Flacco is playing some of the best football of his career. But if the Steelers can just take the short game away, it will make things a lot harder for a 40-year old quarterback that doesn’t want to deal with pressure. And there’s no better team for the Steelers’ offense to find a rhythm against than this Bengals’ defense. Steelers 31, Bengals 24
**Dr. Melanie Friedlander:**This Steelers team is tough to predict because we don’t know which version of the Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde versions of the offense and the defense we will see each week. This could easily be another shootout, where the team that has the ball on offense on the final drive comes away with the win. Or the Steelers offense could look as bad as they did last week, and it could turn into a rout for the Bengals. I’m hoping for a bounce-back performance.Steelers 30, Bengal s 28
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