After losing to the Cleveland Browns, the Pittsburgh Steelers must get back on track this week against the Cincinnati Bengals. That won’t be an easy task, though. The Bengals might be 4-7, but their offense is dangerous. Joe Burrow would probably have a strong MVP case if his team’s record were better. Alex Highsmith believes the Steelers’ key to victory will be getting Burrow on the ground.
“We know that we gotta get after them, especially up front,” Highsmith said Tuesday via the team’s YouTube channel. “We know we gotta lay them down and cause a lot of pressure. I think that’s the goal is just really start fast and jump on them early because times where we have been successful going there is when we’ve taken the ball away, and we get sacks.”
Highsmith is likely correct that the Steelers’ defensive front will need to have a good game this week. The Bengals’ offensive line has struggled this year, allowing Burrow to be sacked 26 times. Rookie Amarius Mims will be starting at right tackle, so T.J. Watt should have a much better performance than he did in Week 12.
The Steelers beat the Bengals in both their battles last year, and Highsmith is right that pressure and turnovers helped fuel that victory. In the first game, the Steelers recorded one interception and four sacks. In the second game, they did even better, putting up three sacks and three interceptions.
Burrow didn’t play against the Steelers either time, but the point still stands. It’s obvious that the Steelers are more likely to win when they force turnovers and harass the opposing quarterback, but against the Bengals this year, those plays might be even more important.
According to FOX Sports, the Bengals have the ninth-best total offense in the league. The Steelers recently performed well against the Baltimore Ravens, who have the first-ranked offense, so perhaps they’ll have similar success against the Bengals. Hopefully, Highsmith will be available to play.
The Steelers’ pass rush wasn’t good enough in Week 12, plain and simple. They only recorded one sack, and even that came later than it should have. The Bengals’ offensive line isn’t amazing. The Steelers are supposed to have arguably the best pass rush in the NFL, which needs to be on full display this week.
