The Pittsburgh Steelers will get their 2022 regular season underway on Sunday afternoon against the Cincinnati Bengals, and that road game will take place at Paycor Stadium. On Tuesday, the official start of Week 1, the Steelers are consensus 6.5-point underdogs to the Bengals, according to vegasInsider.com. The consensus over/under point total for the contest is 44.5 as of Tuesday morning.
Last season, the Bengals compiled a 10-7 record during the regular season on their way to winning the AFC North division under head coach Zac Taylor. The team ultimately went on to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl LVI but lost to the Los Angeles Rams 23-20.
Quarterback Joe Burrow, the Bengals’ first-round selection in the 2020 NFL Draft, will start Sunday against the Steelers. Last season he was 366 of 520 passing during the regular season for 4,611 yards with 34 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He was also sacked 51 times in 2021.
Running back Joe Mixon is back in 2022 after leading the team in rushing last season. The Oklahoma product rushed for 1,205 yards and 13 touchdowns last season on 292 total carries. Mixon also caught 42 passes for 314 yards and three touchdowns last season.
Wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase was the Bengals’ leading receiver last season as he caught 81 passes for 1,455 yards and 13 touchdowns as a rookie. He ultimately was named the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year for 2021.
The Bengals staring offensive line from left to right is expected to be Jonah Williams, Cordell Volson, Ted Karras, Alex Cappa, and La’el Collins. Williams was the team’s first-round selection in the 2019 NFL Draft.
The Bengals defense managed to register 42 sacks in 2021 and 21 total takeaways. Their defense was led in sacks last season by defensive end Trey Hendrickson, who had 14 of them.
Linebacker Logan Wilson led the Bengals’ defense in total tackles in 2021 with 98. Wilson also led the team in interceptions in 2021 with four.
Kicker Evan McPherson will be back again in 2022 along with punter Kevin Huber. McPherson made 28 of his 33 total field goal attempts in 20221 and 46 of his 48 total extra point attempts.
All-time, the Steelers and Bengals have met each other 105 times (including two postseason games), with Pittsburgh winning 67 games and Cincinnati winning 38. The Bengals have won the last three games between the two teams.
The Steelers are 23-8 against the Bengals under head coach Mike Tomlin and 12-4 against them on the road, with one of those wins being a Wild Card playoff game.
The last time the Steelers and Bengals played was in Week 12 of the 2021 season. The Bengals won that game 41-10 at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati. Burrow completed 20 of his 24 total pass attempts in that game for 190 yards with one touchdown and an interception. Mixon had two touchdown runs in that game and wide receiver Tee Higgins had the team’s lone receiving touchdown catch. The Bengals’ defense intercepted Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger twice in that game.
For his career, Steelers quarterback Mitch Trubisky is 1-0 against the Bengals, with that win coming on the road in Cincinnati in 2017. He completed 25 of his 32 total pass attempts in that contest for 271 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions.
Ian Eagle, Charles Davis, and Evan Washburn will be on the call for CBS for the Week 1 game between the Steelers and the Bengals.
