On a short week with a tight turnaround and playing a familiar opponent in AFC North football against the Cincinnati Bengals, things might be a bit tough this week for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
After a hard-fought win Sunday over the Cleveland Browns, that quick of a turnaround within the division, and going on the road to do so, makes for added difficulties. The Steelers know it all too well, and they’ve been bad on Thursday Night Football under head coach Mike Tomlin.
The Steelers are 2-9 under Tomlin in games on the road. They’ve lost four straight, too.
That said, there are no excuses entering this matchup. They have to find a way to win, and doing so will come through some key individual matchups.
There will be games within the game to watch. Make sure to keep an eye on key individual matchups in all three phases in the Steelers-Bengals at Paycor Stadium in primetime. That’s the biggest thing.
Below are my four matchups to watch Thursday night.
STEELERS OLB NICK HERBIG VS. BENGALS LT ORLANDO BROWN JR.
The last time the Steelers were in Cincinnati was last December, and if you recall ahead of that matchup, Tomlin identified the Nick Herbig-Orlando Brown Jr. matchup as one the Steelers had to win. As Tomlin said, Herbig had to “kill him.” Well, the young OLB did just that, winning in a key spot by forcing a strip-sack of Joe Burrow that Payton Wilson scooped and scored on in the Steelers’ shootout win.
This time around, Alex Highsmith is healthy, but Herbig is playing at an otherworldly level and has forced his way onto the field. He leads the Steelers with 4.5 sacks and 20 pressures and has dominated for stretches. He’ll now get another crack at Brown, who has allowed 19 pressures and five sacks, leading the NFL in the latter category.
Though Brown is one of the better left tackles in football, Herbig is making a name for himself in his own right,and will have an opportunity to make some big splashes Thursday night, especially with the stationary 40-year-old Joe Flacco under center.
STEELERS CB JOEY PORTER JR. VS. BENGALS WR TEE HIGGINS
While Herbig had a great showing the last time the Steelers were in Cincinnati, cornerback Joey Porter Jr. did not. That’s putting it nicely. In that Dec. 1 matchup, Porter was called for six penalties while dealing with Tee Higgins in coverage. After that performance, Tomlin stated that when playing a guy like “Shaq” [Higgins], defenders have to use all their fouls.
Porter has since improved. He’s played cleaner. Last season down the stretch he was called for just one penalty. He has had just one penalty this year, too, albeit in limited action because of a hamstring injury. With Jalen Ramsey likely getting tasked with handling Ja’Marr Chase, Porter will probably be on Higgins again, with Darius Slay also likely to get some work against him too.
Porter had a great game against the Browns last week. He needs to build on that on a short week against a guy who’s given him fits.
BENGALS QB JOE FLACCO VS. STEELERS DC TERYL AUSTIN
Just a week ago, the Steelers were gearing up to deal with Jake Browning at quarterback. Now, it’s Joe Flacco, who came over via trade from the Browns, a move that drew Tomlin’s ire. Flacco is a guy who knows the Steelers well and has had plenty of success against them over the years.
Even on a short week and with a new team, Flacco knows what he’s going against. That makes defensive coordinator Teryl Austin’s role all the more important this week. Austin has done a nice job of scheming things up of late, with the Steelers generating a ton of pressure while forcing turnovers, too.
Austin will need to try to confuse Flacco and force him to hold the ball just a tick longer to help the pass rush get home. With all of the new players the Steelers have on the back end of their defense, Austin has a chance to continue drawing up pressures and coverage looks, creating splash.
Flacco’s been around the block a time or 10, but he’s nowhere near what he once was.
BENGALS LB LOGAN WILSON VS. STEELERS TE PAT FREIERMUTH
There’s something about playing the Bengals that Pat Freiermuth just loves. Freiermuth has 43 career receptions for 489 yards and four touchdowns against the Bengals. Those are some pretty darn good numbers.
The problem is Freiermuth has been nearly nonexistent this season, hauling in just eight receptions for 76 yards. He’s played just 36 snaps in the last two games combined, too, with one catch for 11 yards. There are a lot of questions surrounding Freiermuth and his fit in Pittsburgh at the moment.
But he has a chance to turn that around on a short week against an opponent he dominates. Last season in Cincinnati, Freiermuth had six receptions for 68 yards and a touchdown. The year before, he had nine receptions for 120 yards. There’s something about being in Ohio that leads to Freiermuth having a great showing.
He’ll need to do so again, even with standout linebacker Logan Wilson shadowing him. On the year, Wilson has just a 51.6 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus and has allowed 16 receptions on 21 targets for 182 yards and a touchdown. Opportunities should be there for Freiermuth.
