Key Matchups: Cincinnati Bengals Eye Their First Division Win in Road Showdown With Pittsburgh Steelers
The Bengals face the Steelers on Sunday in a must-win situation following their bye week.
Cincinnati is 5-4, one game behind the Ravens in the AFC North, and 0-3 in the division. The Bengals have one of the toughest remaining schedules in the NFL, whereas Baltimore controls their destiny to the playoffs and has the lowest strength of schedule among all teams.
DJ Reader will play in Sunday's game. He hasn't played since Week 3 due to a knee injury. Reader's return is a huge boost to the defense as they start their quest to the postseason.
Joe Burrow and company need to start fast and move the ball down the field to avoid a repeat of Week 1 against their division rival.
Let's take a look at this week's matchups.
Matchup of the Game: Bengals Offensive Line vs. Steelers Defensive Front Seven
The Steelers shocked the Bengals to start the season in large part due to the play of their defensive front seven.
From the start, Pittsburgh won the battle in the trenches. Burrow threw the first of four interceptions on his first pass of the game, was sacked seven times, and looked uncomfortable all day long.
The run game also couldn't get going. Joe Mixon ran for 82 yards on 27 attempts. One of those rushes was for 31-yards on 4th-and-1 late in the second quarter. The Steelers' front seven consistently plugged the running lanes.
TJ Watt had an interception, one sack and two tackles for loss before leaving the game with a pec injury. He returned to play last week from that injury and will look for a repeat performance Sunday.
Cameron Heyward added three quarterback hits, one tackle for loss, and a fumble recovery.
Watt and Heyward are the stars of Pittsburgh's front seven, but Alex Highsmith made his presence felt as well. He contributed nine tackles, four quarterback hits, two tackles for loss, and forced a fumble.
Highsmith has stepped up in Watt's absence. He's tied for third in the NFL with 8.5 sacks.
In Watt's return last week, the Steelers' defense held New Orleans to just 186 total yards and 10 points on offense. Highsmith had two sacks and their defense looked back in its dominating form.
The Bengals will have double teams and tight end and running back help to block Watt, Highsmith, and others as well as open lanes for Mixon. The momentum of this game will start in the trenches.
Trey Hendrickson, Sam Hubbard vs. Kenny Pickett
Pickett is entering his sixth career start against the Bengals. It will be the first time the rookie plays Cincinnati. Mitchell Trubisky started for the Steelers in the first meeting.
The biggest difference between Pickett and Trubisky is that Pickett is mobile, whereas Trubisky is mainly a pocket passer.
Pickett has been praised for his ability to use his feet to extend plays and awareness. He rushed for a season-high 51 yards against the Saints as a number of those runs were a result of good coverage by the defense.
The rookie has shown glimpses of his potential and the possibility to develop into an NFL star, but it hasn't been the smoothest of transitions to the professional level for the young quarterback. Pickett has thrown for two touchdowns, eight interceptions, and taken 18 sacks.
He's 25th in the league averaging 193.5 yards per game and averaging 6.0 yards per attempt. He's missed out on a number of deep ball chances by playing conservatively hitting receivers on crossing routes, screens, or dumpoffs as well as pressure in the pocket.
Hendrickson and Hubbard have been a dominant duo on the edges for the Bengals. Although they have just a combined 7.5 sacks, the pair have had their fair shares in opposing team's backfields this season.
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Hendrickson has 32 quarterback pressures, 17 quarterback hurries, and 10 quarterback hits. Hubbard's tallied 30 pressures, 14 quarterback hurries, and 11 quarterback hits.
Just like the Bengals on offense, the Bengals on defense can sway the momentum of this game in the trenches. Hendrickson and Hubbard, along with Reader, can continue Pickett's rookie struggles by getting in the backfield to take him down and force unwarranted plays.
Bengals Run Defense vs. Najee Harris
A good ground game is a luxury for a rookie quarterback, but the Steelers haven't found those riches yet.
Harris posted his best game of the season against the Saints in Week 10 with 20 carries for 99 yards, but he has yet to break the 100-yard mark in a game thus far. Harris had 50 rushing yards or more in just four games.
The second-year running back carries the load for the team. He's had 128 rushes on the season compared to Jaylen Warren's 38 carries, second on the team.
As the Steelers' struggling offense tries to build off of their best offensive outing on the season against the Bengals, Harris should get the bulk of touches. They established a balanced attack last week, which opened their playbook and kept the offense from being predictable.
The Bengals held the Steelers to 75 yards rushing and 3.4 yards per attempt in Week 1. The return of Reader will help bolster a run defense that struggled in his absence.
In the first three contests of the season with Reader, Cincinnati gave up an average of 86 rushing yards per game. From Weeks 4-9 without Reader, they surrendered an average of 147.8 yards.
Stopping Harris and the run game will keep the Steelers offense one-dimensional, which is less than ideal for a rookie quarterback.
Joe Burrow vs. Steelers Secondary
Burrow likes the place he's in now compared to the season opener against the Steelers.
"Just healthier," Burrow said. "I'm not coming off an appendix surgery... I'm just going to be smarter with the ball. I was healthy enough to go out there and play. I just didn't play the way that I needed to win that game."
Since his five turnover game, Burrow has 16 touchdowns, completed 71.4% of his passes, two interceptions, and a passer rating of 110.4.
The Steelers secondary ranks towards the bottom of the league allowing the sixth-most passing yards (2,375), fifth-most yards per attempt (7.6), and most yards per catch (12.5). They have been a victim of explosive plays this season.
Along with this, they have allowed the second-most receiving touchdowns (18).
If Burrow is given time in the pocket, he should be able to pick apart this talented secondary.
Kevin Huber vs. Drue Chrisman
Yes, Huber and Chrisman are on the same team, but the punting position is a matchup to keep an eye on.
Huber has struggled averaging just 38.1 yards on seven punts over the last two games.
Prior to the bye, Darrin Simmons hinted at a potential position change. No official announcement has been made by the team of who will be punting this week.
Chrisman has a stronger leg than Huber, but the veteran beat him for the starting job in training camp.
If the Bengals are going to turn to Chrisman this season, now seems like the right time to make a change.
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