(Photo: Bleacher Report)
AFC Game Of The Week
Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers
Bengals: When you’re 4-8, things seem extremely bleak from that perspective. You’re four games under 500 and nobody is giving you a chance. This is exactly why you play the games you play, to compete and show the world a thing or two. All a team sometimes needs to do is win one and go from there which they’ve done. Their game against the Denver Broncos was hands down one of the best I’ve seen all year long and it came down to overtime. I’ve said this on the radio throughout the season and will say it here on this website. If the Cincinnati Bengals had a better record and had one of the top three seeds in the AFC playoff picture, Joe Burrow would be the front-runner for MVP and it wouldn’t even be close in my eyes. I’ve been watching this kid play Quarterback since his college days and the same moxie, confidence, and swagger he played with in Baton Rouge for the LSU Tigers hasn’t changed since he came into the NFL. Joe believes he can complete each pass and win each game, how could you hate that? Along with Ja’Marr Chase, they have become the best Quarterback-to-Receiver tandem in the league and if you think there’s one better, please send them to me. Offense hasn’t been the issue for the Bengals this year, it’s been the defense that’s wasted some strong efforts from the Quarterback, but again, whenever teams lose, the easy thing to do is blame the Quarterback but the last I checked, he doesn’t play defense. With a win and some help, they will be back in the postseason for the first time since the 2022 season. They will battle the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday night.
Steelers: When I saw the three-game stretch against the Philadelphia Eagles, Baltimore Ravens, and Kansas City Chiefs, I knew it’d be tough, but it was also an opportunity to prove to the people who haven’t been sold on them to show them something. In order to be considered an elite group, you must defeat the elite teams in the league. They struggled against Philly and were attacked by Jalen Hurts and the passing game, the Ravens had their way with them and on Christmas Day against the Chiefs, they simply hurt themselves by being in the red area of the football field and either not completing a pass or they committed a silly penalty. I’ve finally been able to diagnose what’s really going on with the Pittsburgh Steelers. First, their defense has shouldered much of the responsibility throughout the regular season and they operate as if they have to maneuver the vehicle which leads me to say that a defense isn’t built to drive the entire way, that’s what the offense is for but because they’ve struggled on their end, the pressure has been on the defense to make plays. When you unfortunately rely on an inconsistent running game and a consistent pass rush to win your games, the chances are it’s going to wear down. Russell Wilson is at his best when he can draw defenses close to the line of scrimmage meaning he needs the running game to lean on and the play action will do the rest of the damage. In other words, I need for them to get back to Steelers football which is ground and pound. They will look to snap their losing streak with a hot Cincinnati team coming to town.
Bengals X-Factor: Mike Gesicki– This Bengals passing attack is full of weapons from the obvious in Chase to Tee Higgins and add Mike Gesicki into the fold as well. He’s a 6’6, 245-pound Tight End who has become Joey B’s safety valve when defenses decide to send a blitz or attempt to eliminate Ja’Marr, this is who answers the call when another play needs to be made. Mike plays with long strides, has range, and can be a very tough cover for many defenses. Mike is tough for any Safety or Linebacker attempting to cover him,
Steelers X-Factor: Jaylen Warren– This is no shade or disrespect to Najee Harris, but the offense as a whole for the Steelers operates better when Jaylen is the featured back. He reminds me so much of Austin Ekeler with his style of play and he’s able to beat defenses as both a runner and a receiver. When he’s in space, he’s trying to run through you or stiff-arm you to get by. Jaylen is so difficult to bring down with the ball in his hands. The Steelers must let him cook and good things will happen such as the rest of the offense opening up to feed the others the football.
Final Thoughts: These two met on December 1st and it ended up being a shootout. The Steelers scored 44 points in that game and since then, it’s been a struggle. The Bengals hung around, but it wasn’t enough in the end as they fell short. At that time, many thought the AFC North was the Steelers’ division to lose, but the struggles along with the Ravens winning games have made this a very interesting division to pay attention to. By the time this game kicks off, the Steelers will know if they are heading into the playoffs as a Wild Card team or if they could have a chance to win the division for the first time since 2020. The Bengals’ defense can be had as we’ve seen throughout the year and this is the perfect opportunity for the Steelers’ offense to get back to moving the ball down the field. The Steelers must get back to running the football which is exactly why Warren is my X-factor along with Najee Harris. They must set the tone early, not Cam Heyward, not T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, or Minkah Fitzpatrick. Those defenders I just listed will do their jobs, it’s on the offense to alleviate pressure from the defense. Can the Bengals keep this momentum going? I trust their offense a lot more than I do the Steelers as we speak and Burrow always seems to play well under the lights. I like the Bengals to get a win in Pittsburgh on Saturday night.
Prediction: Bengals 35, Steelers 28
