Week 3 @ Steelers
Week 3: Steelers
The Cincinnati Bengals enter Week 3 in a four way tie for the division. They are going into a hostile stadium where the Bengals have played poorly in the past. Taylor has a 2-10 record against the division, and a 1-3 record against the Steelers. This isn't much different then Taylor’s predecessor Marvin Lewis. In Lewis’ 16 seasons he finished with an 8-26 record vs the division rivals. A pain that all Bengals fans have felt over the last over the last 20 years, winning only 10 of the 41 games. The Bengals have always felt like the little brother to the division powerhouse. For the Bengals to change their ways and move in the right direction a win over their division rival would help in a serious way. I have three important matchups on both sides of the ball that I think need to be looked at before the week 3 matchup.
Bengals Offense
Zac Taylor’s offense against the Steelers. After some conflict between the players and Taylor, the Bengals will have to bounce back in a big way. Zac Taylor’s top performance as a head coach came in Week 15 of last season against the Steelers. The Bengals with third string quarterback Ryan Findley played inspired and ended up winning on Monday Night. A game most Bengals fans will remember forever, not because they had some amazing performance (only 230 total yards). But by the way they played, the Bengals played inspired. Watching the game back gives me goosebumps, even the Bengals media team realized how big that game was, since it's in every media production to date now. I think the Bengals body language will be the determining factor to Zac Taylors team this year. If they come out flat and look uninspired I think it will be the nail in the coffin for Zac Taylor’s gig in Cincinnati. Will the Bengals open up the passing attack to challenge a relatively untested Pittsburgh secondary, who might be without Joe Haden. Or will the Bengals look conservative and flounder against the Steelers defense.
Tyler Boyd vs Steelers slot corner (Fitzpatrick, Norwood). Tyler Boyd is the veteran in the Bengals passing game, and the Bengals are going to need to utilize him. In the last three seasons Boyd has made a name for himself as one of the best slot receivers in the league. With that experience, Burrow and the Bengals are going to need to exploit his matchup against an inexperienced Steelers secondary. The Steelers have been exploring options at slot corner and it hasn't gone well this season. Opposing teams' slot receivers have averaged 10 catches and 90 yards this season. I think that Boyd will end up having 10 catches for 95 yards and a TD. Boyd has been Burrow’s favorite target on 3rd down.
Jonah Williams vs Cam Hayward. The Bengals have anchored their offensive line with Jonah Williams and used their 11th overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft. Jonah Williams has had some injuries and this might be his prove it year. Williams will have his hands full with Cam Hayward this week. Hayward, a four time Pro Bowler has been a staple for the Steelers defense over the last 10 years. He is a player who might not have huge numbers on the stat sheet, but you will watch the game and ask who number 97 is. Williams struggled with stunts last week against the Bears and I believe the Steelers will try the same thing this week. Let's see how the Bengals try to combat this issue and hope Burrow will have enough time to throw the ball.
Bengals Defense
Pittsburgh worst Rushing team in the NFL. The Pittsburgh Steelers have struggled to run the ball this year only averaging 57 yards per game. This is a good thing for the Bengals defense as they have locked down two top 10 backs this season (Cook, Montgomery). The Bengals limited both rushes to 3 yards per carry, and they hope to bottle up the Steelers rush attack on Sunday. Najee Harris, the Steelers back, is a rookie who dominated in college. The Bengals need to limit the rookie and keep Pittsburgh in a one sided offense. I believe the Bengals defense line is going to cause problems for the Steelers line and they will limit the Steelers to under 50 yards.
Big Ben Pocket Presence. Ben Roethlisberger is a wizard when it comes to avoiding sacks. His calling card is to either climb the pocket or slip to the side. Bengals fans have seen Ben do this to them over the last 17 seasons. The way you counter Ben is to have pressure in his face. The Steelers Left Tackle and Center will be making their 3rd start in the NFL. I fully expect Trey Hendrickson, Larry Ogunjobi, and DJ Reader to really cause havoc to the Steelers offensive line, with at least 3 sacks on Sunday.
Bengals Corners. How will the Bengals secondary lineup vs the Steelers receivers. The Bengals corners currently have a weak spot in Eli Apple and I am concerned with who he lines up with. Awuzie the top corner will probably line up on JuJu Smith-Schuster the most. I like that matchup for the Bengals the most, the problem will be with Eli Apple vs Diontae Johnson or Chase Claypool. Both of these Steelers are very explosive and can blow the top off a Defense. If the Bengals (Eli Apple) can limit those plays, the defense will hold up and limit the Steelers to under 20 points.
