Steelers vs. Bengals Predictions: Aaron Rodgers Breaks Cincy's Streak

The Pittsburgh Steelers are looking to wipe their hands clean of their 20-3 blowout loss to the New England Patriots in Week 2.

The Cincinnati Bengals are the Steelers' toughest opponent to date, however, with a rejuvenated defense that's performed at an elite level through two games next to one of the NFL's more skilled offenses.

Still, there are reasons to believe Pittsburgh can hang with the Bengals in Week 3 and build some momentum moving forward.

With that, here are three bold predictions for this matchup between the two AFC North rivals.

Aaron Rodgers Breaks Bengals' Streak

Rodgers, after a promising outing against the Atlanta Falcons in the season opener, fell completely flat against the Patriots with 187 yards, no touchdowns and an interception on 39 passing attempts.

It wasn't all his fault given how poorly the offensive line performed (four sacks, 13 pressures allowed per Pro Football Focus), but Rodgers wasn't nearly as sharp against New England as he was vs. Atlanta.

The Bengals' defense has done a complete 180 through the first two weeks of the season, as they're currently tied for the second-best EPA per play allowed (-0.26, per Next Gen Stats) while being tied for the league lead in sacks (eight).

Cincinnati is also the only team that has yet to allow a passing touchdown, and that streak feels like it's due to be snapped.

The Steelers will be hard-pressed to have a field day on offense, though they should still be able to at least move the ball and put some points up on the board, which will include two passing touchdowns from Rodgers.

Sep 20, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt (90) reacts in the first half against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Pittsburgh Keeps Bengals' Offense at Bay

Cincinnati, as previously mentioned, has one of the more talented offenses across the NFL.

With Joe Burrow at quarterback, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins at wide receiver alongside Chase Brown at running back, the Bengals are a handful to deal with.

At the same time, though, the Steelers' defense has blossomed into one of the top units in the league thus far under Patrick Graham.

Having already forced four turnovers while being tied for the fourth-best EPA per play allowed (-0.25, per NGS) with an elite pass rush unit led by T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, Pittsburgh has all the pieces necessary to limit Cincinnati's offensive output.

In this contest, the Steelers will record an interception of Burrow and hold the Bengals to right around 275 yards of offense or so.

Steelers Keep It Closer Than Expected

There's been a ton of overreactions to Pittsburgh's loss at the hands of the Patriots, and understandably so.

It was one of the team's worst offensive performances in recent memory, and just about everything that could've gone wrong did go wrong on that side of the ball.

The Steelers' defense still had a good day, though, and with some potential offensive line changes on the horizon, brighter days feel like they might be ahead.

The Bengals look like an early contender not just in the AFC North, but in the conference as a whole and will offer a significant challenge for Pittsburgh at Acrisure Stadium. The Steelers aren't just going to roll over and let Cincinnati walk all over them, however.

It's going to be a tight game, and while the final score prediction here is 21-14 in favor of the Bengals, Pittsburgh is going to show promising signs of growth and keep it competitive before facing another division rival in the Cleveland Browns on Thursday Night Football in Week 4.

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