The last time the Pittsburgh Steelers played, things went very wrong on Thursday Night Football against the Cleveland Browns, leading to a frustrating 24-19 loss that ended a five-game winning streak.
The loss raised questions about the Steelers’ long-term viability this season, with many believing the falloff is coming down the stretch.
The good news is that the Steelers get a chance to right the ship immediately within the division, taking on the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday. The Bengals are 4-7, and while they have an elite-level offense, their defense is among the league’s worst. That could — and should — work in the Steelers’ favor.
It’s AFC North football though. Anything can happen.
Here at Steelers Depot, we’re doing something new this season. While Alex Kozora and Dave Bryan give their in-depth breakdown and preview of the game weekly on The Terrible Podcast, Joe Clark, Ross McCorkle, Scott Brown, Troy Montgomery, and I are doing a weekly roundtable, answering key questions ahead of each game.
Today, we examine the Steelers’ Week 13 matchup at Paycor Stadium against the Bengals.
QUESTION 1: WHO IS THE STEELERS’ X FACTOR AGAINST THE BENGALS?
Josh Carney: CB Joey Porter Jr. Porter has been up and down this season in coverage. Some weeks, he looks like a true, elite No. 1 corner who closes down one side of the field. Other weeks, he allows far too many receptions and struggles with communication.
The good news is that bad week occurred last week in Cleveland. This week, though, he has arguably his toughest test of the season with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins across from him. Porter will likely find himself matched up on Chase quite a bit Sunday. Porter’s had some success against Chase, but right now Chase and Bengals QB Joe Burrow are otherworldly.
Porter needs to have a great game to help slow down the Bengals’ passing attack. Avoid the penalties and the miscommunication and get back to playing good football. If not, it could be a very long day — for him and the Steelers.
Joe Clark: EDGE T.J. Watt. Watt had a quiet game against the Browns, and after getting completely outplayed by Myles Garrett, he is going to want to come out and have a big game. The pass rush hasn’t gotten home as much as the Steelers would like this season as they have the talent but just haven’t finished plays. It’s one of the reasons why they lost against Cleveland. If they can’t get home against the Bengals, QB Joe Burrow will have a big day. Watt is going to need to make his impact on this game early and often.
Ross McCorkle: RB Jaylen Warren. He has been ramping up and gaining steam while Najee Harris has cooled off since the bye. It might be time to get back to the 50-50 share of the offensive snaps that they had at times last season. Sheldon Rankins is out, and Logan Wilson seems likely to be out for the Bengals too. It might not be so difficult to run on them, and Warren is explosive enough to break some big plays even in limited snaps.
Scott Brown: WR Mike Williams: He has goose eggs across the board as a Steeler if Calvin Austin III doesn’t get hurt late in the Commanders game. That’s makes what has happened since Williams’ game-winning 32-yard touchdown catch against Washington all the more puzzling.
The Steelers have gradually ramped up Williams’ snaps, but he remains an afterthought in an offense still sorely lacking a WR2, Size, pedigree, and past production should make Williams a moon-ball magnet. Not saying he is DK Metcalf, but he’s not Van Jefferson either. How about a couple of shots to Williams against a suspect Bengals defense?
Troy Montgomery: RB Najee Harris. This season has been an up-and-down one for Harris. He had some strong performances to start, running hard, but then he had a few quiet games. Harris did put together a stretch of 100-yard games, but last week, he wasn’t as effective, which helped lead to a Steelers loss. This week, he’ll need to be better.
The Steelers’ defense is amazing, but it might be tough to stop Joe Burrow for an entire game. The best way to defend him is keeping him off the field. If Harris can bounce back this week, the Steelers should be able to win the time-of-possession battle. That will go a long way toward slowing down Burrow and the Bengals.
QUESTION 2: WHAT IS THE MATCHUP TO WATCH IN STEELERS-BENGALS?
Josh Carney: CB Joey Porter Jr. vs. WR Ja’Marr Chase. The first — and only — time these two met in 2023, Porter held Chase to just two receptions for 36 yards. Chase didn’t play in the Week 16 matchup against the Steelers.
Porter had just a 65.2 overall grade from Pro Football Focus against Chase. But he did a great job of taking the star receiver away throughout the game, outside of one 25-yard catch down the right sideline in which Porter was in great position.
This season Chase is at another level. He already has 12 touchdowns and is torching teams week after week. Porter has been up and down, struggling with penalties and some communication issues. This is a marquee matchup, though, one that Porter is expected to handle for the Steelers.
Joe Clark: CB Donte Jackson vs. WR Tee Higgins. The Chase-Porter matchup deservedly will get all the attention, but I want to see Jackson step up against Higgins. He’s had a lot of success against the Steelers, with 14 receptions for 288 yards and a touchdown in his last two matchups against Pittsburgh. After a strong start to the season, Jackson hasn’t been as good over the last few weeks. Even if Joey Porter Jr. limits Ja’Marr Chase, the Bengals can still have success through the air if Higgins finds success.
Ross McCorkle: CB Joey Porter Jr. vs. WR Ja’Marr Chase. Porter has been hit or miss this season, but the fate of this game might rest on his shoulders. If he can limit Chase, I have a hard time seeing the Bengals winning. If Chase runs wild, then I have a hard time seeing the Steelers winning. In their lone matchup last season, Porter held him to two receptions on two targets for minimal yards.
Scott Brown: CB Joey Porter Jr. vs. WR Ja’Marr Chase: JPJ did not quite make Jerry Jeudy look like Jerry Rice in Cleveland, but he seemed a step slow. Ravens hangover, slick field, whatever the reason he did not play like a CB1. He better in Cincinnati.
Ja’Marr Chase is a dude. A dude who is going to get a big bag in the offseason assuming the Bengals don’t bungle. Porter took Chase out of the game the only time they faced off last season. He will remember that, but Porter is built for matchups like these in body, mind, and spirit.
Troy Montgomery: LB T.J. Watt vs. OT Amarius Mims. It’s highly doubtful the Bengals will leave Mims one-on-one with Watt very often. If it does happen, Watt needs to show up in a big way. Mims will be the second first-round rookie tackle Watt has seen this year. He gave Joe Alt of the Los Angeles Chargers a tough time. He needs to do that again with Mims.
Watt had a rare bad game against the Cleveland Browns, so he should have a little extra motivation this week. Pressure on Joe Burrow will be key, and Watt will need to be front and center.
QUESTION 3: WHAT IS THE BIGGEST KEY TO THE GAME FOR THE STEELERS?
Josh Carney: Finish drives in the red zone. In this matchup against the Bengals’ high-powered offense, the Steelers have to be better in the red zone offensively. That means finishing drives with touchdowns rather than field goals.
So far this season the Steelers have been among the league’s worst at finishing red-zone drives, sitting at 30th in the NFL. That’s ahead of only the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants. Not great! While the Steelers’ defense isn’t going to give up a ton of points to the Bengals, they will be hard-pressed to keep them under 20 points. So, the Steelers are going to need to finish drives with touchdowns against one of the league’s worst defenses rather than settle for Chris Boswell field goals.
A healthy 3-for-4 day in the red zone — something in that ballpark — for the Steelers should be good enough for a win on the road.
Joe Clark: Make the Bengals one-dimensional and let the pass rush get home. Cincinnati has the fifth-fewest rushing yards in the league, but the Steelers have struggled against teams that have been bad running the ball. Chase Brown is a solid running back, and the Steelers can’t let him pick up consistent yardage on the ground.
Burrow is playing at an MVP level, but if the Bengals have to abandon the run, that will allow the Steelers to tee off with their pass rush. They have to get home in the pass rush, and it will be much easier if they aren’t worried about Cincinnati running the football.
Ross McCorkle: Stop the run. It may seem counterintuitive with the Bengals having a poor rushing attack, but that is exactly when the Steelers have gotten run all over this year. I don’t expect a high volume of runs from the Bengals Sunday, but the Steelers need to shut it down when they do use it to win situational football and keep them behind them off schedule.
Scott Brown: Don’t let Joe Burrow get in a groove. Joe Cool is tied with Lamar Jackson for the NFL lead with 27 TD passes. And he has played one less game than the QB who, for all his greatness, can’t solve the Steelers. Burrow will be locked and loaded for this one with Cincy fighting for its playoff life.
Fortunately for the Steelers, T.J. Watt has had more than a week to stew over the Browns loss, one in which Myles Garrett outclassed him. The Steelers need Watt to redeem himself for the virtual no-show in Cleveland. That means re-introducing himself early and often to Burrow.
Troy Montgomery: Limit the Bengals’ explosive plays. The Steelers did a fine job against Lamar Jackson, but Joe Burrow has better weapons in the passing game.
Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are going to test the Steelers’ pass defense. They’ve made several game-changing plays already this year, being able to break a game open at any moment. The Steelers can hit deep shots, but they don’t want to get in a shootout with the Bengals. Keeping Chase and Higgins from taking the top off of their defense is going to be massively important.
QUESTION 4: WHAT IS YOUR PREDICTION FOR STEELERS AT BENGALS?
Josh Carney: The Steelers just do not lose back-to-back divisional games under Mike Tomlin. In the last 10 years, Tomlin and the Steelers have done that just once. One time. Odds are very, very good that doesn’t happen again, even if I don’t have a great deal of confidence entering this matchup.
Joe Burrow and the Bengals’ offense scares the life out of me, but Cincinnati’s defense is as bad as it gets. That bodes well for the Steelers’ offense, which should be able to run the football and hit some shots down the field. It will all come down to the red zone. One of the league’s worst red-zone offenses against one of the league’s worst red-zone defenses. Something’s got to give.
This week, it works in favor of the Steelers, who find a way to get back on track. Steelers 27, Bengals 21
Joe Clark: I’m pretty terrified by this Bengals offense, but I think the Steelers know how important this game is and will take care of business. After its three-game slide last December, this team has the leadership to ensure that it doesn’t happen again, and especially not in a divisional game. I think Pittsburgh will come out hot and do enough to keep Cincinnati at bay to win this game. Steelers 30 Bengals 24
Ross McCorkle: Joe Burrow has a pretty good track record against the Steelers in the games where he’s been healthy and available. The Steelers have been struggling to score points. That seems like a bad combination to me. Next week isn’t going to be kind to the Steelers if they lose, so I hope I’m wrong. Bengals 24, Steelers 18.
Scott Brown: Hard to know what to make of these Stillers. They win the turnover battle against the Browns, get off the field on third down (with one glaring exception) and still lose. And they deserved to lose (sorry, George). LOVE this as a get-well game assuming there are no WWE antics in the end zone – or anywhere else on the field — and just some short-yardage competence on offense. Steelers 31, Bengals 17.
Troy Montgomery: Last week saw a lot of ugly from the Steelers. The Browns punched them in the mouth, and hopefully that gave them a wake-up call. They weren’t good enough in some areas, and that includes coaching. This week is important for a multitude of reasons. Dropping back-to-back divisional games would be a bad look.
The Bengals aren’t a normal 4-7 team either. Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase are going to cause problems. Trey Hendrickson is one of the NFL’s best pass rushers. However, the Steelers are talented too. They’ve been a good team this year, and I think they’re going to continue to prove that this week. Steelers 24, Bengals 21.
What did you think of this Depot roundtable previewing the Steelers-Bengals Week 13 matchup? Leave your thoughts below, and feel free to provide your own answers to the questions in the comments below!
