Week 12:”"We have higher aspirations than beating the Steelers this week” -Burrow

The Bengals went into week 12 with something to prove against their division rivals.  The Bengals had won their previous meeting in Week 3, but this seemed to be a different Steelers team that looked primed to make a playoff run. To seasoned Bengals fans, they know Ben Roethlisberger's success against the Bengals especially in Cincinnati, with a 16-2 record in Paul Brown Stadium.  So Bengals fans know how important this game is, luckily the Bengals showed up ready to prove they are no longer the little brother.  In what might have been the most dominant game in modern Bengals history, the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 41-10 at home.  With the score being 31-3 at halftime. 

For the second week in a row the Cincinnati Bengals seem to have found their new offensive identity.  At the start of the season the Bengals were a pass first offense and the offensive line struggled.  Now they seem to be a run first offense and the offensive line is thriving.  Contrary to national media's belief the Bengals offensive line is slightly above average.  When this group has had the opportunity to attack they look very good.  The analytics back it up as well when Mixon rushes the ball 16 or more times the Bengals are 6-1 this season.  With a balanced and complimentary game this offense can be unstoppable.  Which showed up right away on their first drive of the game rushing the ball 8 times and scoring, which is the first time all season they scored on their opening possession.  The first drive of the game set the tone for the Bengals and they never looked back, scoring on 4 of 5 drives in the first half.  With the dominating performance on the ground the Bengals passing game seemed to open up and Tee Higgins seemed to have his breakout game having 6 catches for 114 yards and a TD.  Higgins sophomore year was starting to worry me with his lack of production.  But Higgins showed up this week and his success is going to be needed for the rest of the season.  I firmly believe the Bengals have the most well rounded offense in at least the AFC and maybe the NFL.  That paired with Joe Burrows confidence that keeps rising each week, the Bengals are a real contender that must be taken seriously.

The unsung group of this win was the Bengals defense.  The Bengals defense won on every level just like the offense.  The Bengals starting defense limited the Steelers to 184 total yards and 23 yards on the ground.  Trey Henrickson was involved in every Steelers turnover and the other offseason additions were responsible for the interceptions.  With how well the Bengals defense played it's really hard to write about other than this group was entirely dominant.  The thing I am looking forward to watching is the play of Eli Apple. Chidobe Awuzie has already proven to be a Pro Bowl level player, subsequently leading to teams picking on Eli Apple.  But something has changed for the 6 year pro.  Over the last two games, Eli Apple has been one of the highest graded players on the Bengals and has recorded an interception each game.  If Apple continues this success the holes in the Bengals defense will only be their ability to tackle.  As I have reported all season, the Bengals win when their defense misses less than 10% of their tackles.  The Bengals had little opportunity to miss tackles but they were under the mark and the Bengals moved on to 7-4.

Six games remain this season; where will the Bengals finish?  Worst case the Bengals finish 7-10, best case they finish 13-4.  I think neither of these will happen but what is the realistic outcome of these games?  Winning the AFC North is seeming to be more and more like a possibility.  I think the Bengals will end up finishing with a 5-1 record in the division this year, being crowned King of the North.  The question comes down to the other games.  How do things go against the Chargers, 49ers, Broncos, and Chiefs? I think 3 of 4 are won, so here I sit believing the Bengals will finish the season 12-5. These Cincinnati Bengals are going to the playoffs, I just hope this city is ready for it and is ready to come out and support.