This week, the Pittsburgh Steelers might have their hands full against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals are 4-7, so they aren’t as dominant as the Baltimore Ravens, but they have a surplus of talent, especially on offense. Joe Burrow has been one of the best quarterbacks in the league this year. Along with Ja’Marr Chase, he’s made the Bengals’ offense elite. For that reason, former NFL offensive lineman Kyle Long is picking the Bengals to win this week.
“The Steelers, I just kind of think it’s been fool’s gold,” Long said Tuesday on CBS Sports HQ. “I know they’re a tough team, I know that Tomlin’s a tough coach, but at the end of the day, what do we say about this team? They’re good at being above average, they’re well-coached, and they’re gonna be outmatched by a country mile at the quarterback position.”
Long has been on record before, stating he believes the Steelers are not as good as they appear. In Week 12, they certainly didn’t help prove him wrong. Against the Cleveland Browns, they did look like fool’s gold. However, as bad as they played, they still had a chance to win.
This week might be a little different. If the Steelers play that poorly again, they might get crushed by the Bengals. It’s tough to argue that Long is wrong about the Steelers being outmatched at quarterback against the Bengals. Russell Wilson has performed better than most expected, but Burrow has been on another level.
In 11 games this year, Burrow has 3,028 passing yards, 27 touchdowns, and only four interceptions. If his team had another win or two, he’d likely be in the MVP conversation. With Chase and Tee Higgins, he’s been absolutely surgical throwing the ball. As long as the Bengals keep him standing upright, he’ll be a problem.
Luckily, the Steelers have won other games this year where they’ve had the worse quarterback. They made Lamar Jackson look mortal when they played the Ravens. Rookie Jayden Daniels had his momentum slammed to a halt against the Steelers.
Just because the Bengals have the better quarterback doesn’t guarantee them victory. The Steelers’ defense has been elite this year. In contrast, the Bengals’ defense has been their weak link. Wilson isn’t as good as Burrow, but he might have more opportunities to make big plays.
