Although they’re still on top of the AFC North, the Pittsburgh Steelers look suspect after losing to the Cleveland Browns. They played poorly in all three phases while dropping a game against a divisional opponent. This week, they can work toward avenging that loss. At 4-7, the Cincinnati Bengals are playing for their postseason lives. The Steelers can’t fall flat on their faces again. The Bengals are too talented for that. Despite all that firepower, analyst Chris Simms is still taking the Steelers to win this week.
“I do think Pittsburgh can move the ball on Cincinnati,” Simms said Wednesday on his Chris Simms Unbuttoned podcast. “I expect to see that a little bit here. A ping-pong table in the locker room is not going to fix the Bengals’ issues. I’ve heard that this week.
“No, they are who they are. They will be fun to watch, and this will be an exciting game, but I think, at some point, they’re gonna screw it up. I’m gonna go the Steelers, 24-20. I don’t think they’re gonna lose two in a row.”
There was a report recently that the Bengals put a ping-pong table in their locker room, probably in attempt to keep spirits up. The fact of the matter is they have been a supreme disappointment this year. The Bengals had Super Bowl aspirations. Now, it’s hard to see them making the playoffs.
They don’t really have anyone to blame but themselves either. The Bengals’ offense has been unbelievable, but their defense hasn’t been able to stop a nosebleed. That’s been their Achilles heel. The Bengals can take the lead, but they can’t hold it. If their offense doesn’t play mistake-free, they’re in trouble.
The Steelers have the tools to give the Bengals trouble too. Their defense has been one of the best in the NFL. Although it seems like they won’t have Alex Highsmith back just yet, they still have a lethal stable of pass rushers. The rest of their defense has been solid as well. It might be stretch to say they’ll stop the Bengals’ offense, but they might slow them down enough to secure victory.
Unfortunately, it’s tough to say whether the Steelers’ offense will be able to take advantage of the Bengals’ defense. Over the last few weeks, their warts have been much more apparent. In the red zone, they’ve looked lost. They also had more issues in short-yardage situations in Week 12.
It also isn’t like the Bengals’ defense is totally inept. Trey Hendrickson is leading the league in sacks with 11.5. Sam Hubbard is a reliable veteran. Logan Wilson and Germaine Pratt are a solid pair at linebacker. And Steelers fans are aware of the havoc Mike Hilton can create.
However, like Simms says, the Bengals have shown who they are at this point. The Steelers just need to not allow them to play above their standing. They couldn’t do that against the Browns, but this week allows them to try to rectify that mistake
