With their big Sunday road win over the previously undefeated Kansas City Chiefs now behind them the Pittsburgh Steelers will now start preparing to play the Cincinnati Bengals this coming Sunday at home. According to vegasinsider.com, the 4-2 Steelers opened as 6-point home favorites over the 2-3 Bengals.
The Bengals are coming off a bye and their last game was a 20-16 home win over the Buffalo Bills. In that game, Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton completed 22 of his 36 total pass attempts for 328 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. His lone scoring toss in that contest went to wide receiver A.J. Green, who ended the game with 7 receptions for 189 yards.
For the season, Dalton has completed 104 of his 159 total pass attempts for 1,220 yards with 7 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. As for Green, he currently leads his team in receptions as he’s caught 32 passes for 504 yards and three touchdowns through five games played.
Bengals rookie running back Joe Mixon currently leads his team in rushing with 187 yards and a touchdown on 67 total carries. The Bengals only have one rushing touchdown on the season, however.
As for the Bengals defense, that unit has registered 18 total sacks this season. Defensive tackle Geno Atkins leads the team in that statistical category with 4 quarterback take-downs with rookie defensive end/outside linebacker Carl Lawson close behind him with 3.5 sacks on the season. The Bengals defense also enters Week 7 with four interceptions on the season.
Health-wise, the Bengals got good injury news on Monday as rookie wide receiver John Ross and cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick were both able to practice. Ross has been dealing with a knee injury for several weeks while Kirkpatrick is battling back from a shoulder injury he suffered during the team’s Week 5 game against the Bills.
The Bengals are 5-8-1 after bye weeks under head coach Marvin Lewis. Including one playoff meeting between the two teams, the Steelers have won 7 of the last 8 games they’ve played against the Bengals. The Bengals last win over the Steelers was in 2015 in a game that was played at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.
