By most projections, the Cincinnati Bengals don’t stand much of a chance against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football.
Zac Taylor and the Bengals are merely going through the motions at this point as the injured roster limps to the finish line and an offseason of change awaits.
Taylor had to name Ryan Finley the starter for Monday night with Brandon Allen hurting. But Finley, who Taylor traded up to draft, was a weak point in three winless starts last year and was quickly passed up for Allen after the coaching staff saw limited attempts from him during the game Joe Burrow suffered his injury. It’s such a detriment that oddsmakers moved the line to a historic margin favoring the Steelers.
And why not? The Steelers have lost two in a row, but started 11-0 and while they benefitted from an easy schedule, the two losses came against tricky Washington and Buffalo opponents.
Ben Roethlisberger’s still completing 66.2 percent of his passes with 29 touchdowns and nine interceptions and he’s flanked by a defense with 45 sacks that lets up just 18.2 points per game on average, best mark in the league.
Back in Week 10, the idea was the Bengals out of a bye — and with Burrow under center — would stand a chance at an upset, or at least looking more competitive in a game they usually didn’t. Instead, a 36-10 flop.
Since, the Bengals have posted two games with less than 200 total yards of offense and lost by margins of 20-9, 19-17, 19-7 and 30-7. The defense continues to play respectable ball but the offense just can’t get moving.
While players like Tyler Boyd will be out there fighting on every snap, this one isn’t likely to go well for the Bengals, especially with a third quarterback change happening on primetime, of all places.
Prediction: Steelers 30, Bengals 13
[listicle id=39839]