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It’s only fitting given the history between the two teams that the Pittsburgh Steelers stand between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Zac Taylor era starting off with the worst stretch in franchise history.
With last week’s loss to the Oakland Raiders, Taylor has matched Dave Shula for the worst start in team history. A loss to the Steelers would put him alone in first place with the dubious honor.
The good news? The Bengals have shown some signs of life in recent weeks. During the loss to Oakland, the ground game got going as Joe Mixon rattled off 86 yards on 15 carries (5.7 average) with his first rushing score of the season. That could only improve with left tackle Cordy Glenn unexpectedly returning to the field. Don’t forget the defensive line suddenly waking up and registering three sacks, too.
Perhaps the biggest question mark of all is rookie passer Ryan Finley. After coughing up 14 points off turnovers in his debut, he completed just 13 of 31 attempts in the seven-point loss to Oakland. If he can’t take the proverbial next step at home against the Steelers, the Bengals are all but assured a loss.
Fittingly, the 5-5 Steelers are something of a mess too. Maurkice Pouncey will remain suspended after appeals in the aftermath of his fight with Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns. That story has been the biggest one in the NFL for the entire week and all Steelers players have really heard about.
The Steelers will also miss playmakers like JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Conner due to injury, which isn’t a good sign for Mason Rudolph. He’s struggled, completing just 62.3 percent of his passes with 12 touchdowns against eight interceptions.
The wealth of injuries for the Steelers means the ball will go to predictable places like the backs out of the backfield. But the Bengals haven’t been able to slow predictable attacks for most of the season.
It’s simply too hard to ignore the history here. Never mind the longstanding history — these Bengals coughed up a 24 of 28 line and two touchdowns to Rudolph earlier this season in a 27-3 Steelers win.
Unless the Finley-led offense can carry this game against a Steelers defense only allowing 20.2 points per game, it’s hard to see the Bengals escaping some rough history. If the Steelers pull ahead, Finley hasn’t shown enough to inspire confidence he can lead a comeback while running a one-dimensional attack.
Prediction: Steelers 24, Bengals 13
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