The Pittsburgh Steelers won in an unlikely shootout just a month ago when they faced the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 13. The Steelers have struggled to score much more than 20 points per game all season, but they broke out on that day with 37 points on offense in their 44-38 win. The Bengals have had one of the weaker defenses in the league all season, but they’ve improved a bit over the final month with four-consecutive wins following their loss to the Steelers.
Bengals S Jordan Battle spoke with the Cincinnati media today and explained what the Bengals need to do differently on defense to prevent another disappointing loss despite a 30-plus point effort from Joe Burrow and the offense.
“Just contain the checkdowns, break on the ball, get guys on the ground, tackle better,” Battle said via Cincinnati Bengals Talk on YouTube. “And then when they throw deep, make plays on the ball like we have. Create some tips, create some overthrows, catch some picks, go up and get the ball.
“Whenever they run the ball, strip attempts, get guys on the ground. When they get the ball in their hands, hit him, second guy in, take the ball away from him.”
What Battle is describing is similar to what Hard Knocks showed for the Baltimore Ravens preparing for Russell Wilson and the Steelers’ offense. They said he is all three pointers and layups, meaning he doesn’t really utilize the intermediate areas of the field in the passing game. That has been on display all season, and really for much of his career.
Wilson lives and dies by the deep ball and then the ability to extend plays and find checkdowns with room to run. All teams have been working to take that away, but that leaves an opportunity for the Steelers to self-scout and break tendencies to utilize the middle of the field a bit more. Pat Freiermuth has had great games in his last two outings against the Bengals. They should be able to get him involved in the intermediate passing game to stress the Bengals’ defense.
Since the last time they played the Steelers, the Bengals’ defense has intercepted eight passes and recovered four fumbles. That is three takeaways per game. That was one of the Steelers’ calling cards earlier in the year, but they’ve had less takeaways on defense and more giveaways on offense. The Bengals will be looking to exploit that recent trend.
“It’s gonna be a four-quarter fight,” Battle said. “We gotta do everything we need to do defensively to get off the field, create manageable third downs and get the ball in Joey B.’s [Burrow] hands.”
The Bengals need a win to keep their playoff hopes alive but still need some outside help. The Steelers secured their spot weeks ago but still have an outside chance of winning the division. At the very least, they can secure a trip to play the struggling Houston Texans with a win instead of going on the road against the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card round.
