The undefeated Cincinnati Bengals (6-0) travel to play the Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3) this week. Players to watch in this matchup are the NFL’s fourth-leading rusher, Le’Veon Bell (511 yards, 3 TDs), and fourth-leading receiver, Antonio Brown (671 yards, 2 TDs). It starts at 1:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, Nov 1 and can be seen on CBS.
This will be the first matchup of the season for the division rivals. The Steelers have won three straight against the Bengals, dating back to the 2013 season. Brice McCain led the Steelers defense in the last game, registering three tackles and two interceptions. Reggie Nelson led the way for the Cincinnati defense, totaling three tackles and one interception.
Oddsmakers have deemed the Pittsburgh and Cincinnati game as an even matchup and the Over/Under (O/U) is currently unavailable.
The Steelers enter the game with records of 4-3 Straight Up (SU) and 4-1-2 Against The Spread (ATS) this season. In the past five games, Pittsburgh is 3-2 SU and 3-1-1 ATS. The Steelers have a strong running game with an average of 4.7 yards per carry, good enough for fourth in the league. Turning to the Steelers defense, a few key spots could be deciding factors this week. Cincinnati averages 3.6 yards per carry on the road, ranking 27th in the league. If the game is close late, the Steelers may have an edge. Cincinnati finishes away games poorly, giving up an average of 12.3 points in the fourth quarter. Don’t expect many blunders or oversights from Pittsburgh that could cost them the game. The Steelers are one of the least penalized teams in the NFL (second), averaging 5.4 penalties per game.
Moving to the road team, the Bengals have 6-0 SU and 5-0-1 ATS records this season. If past games are an indicator, the Bengals will rely heavily on moving the offense through the air. They average 288.2 passing yards per game, good enough for fifth in the NFL. The Bengals start strong from the opening kickoff, averaging seven points in the first quarter of road games. Pittsburgh rarely has an advantage when it comes to time of possession. The team has an average time of possession of 29:53 this season, making them 24th in the NFL.
Predictions: SU Winner – Cin, ATS Winner – Cin
Notes
Pittsburgh is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games.
Pittsburgh is 4-1-1 ATS in its last 6 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Pittsburgh’s last 5 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh’s last 6 games at home.
Pittsburgh is 13-5 SU in its last 18 games at home.
Pittsburgh is 7-2-1 ATS in its last 10 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Pittsburgh’s last 7 games when playing Cincinnati.
Pittsburgh is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games when playing Cincinnati.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Pittsburgh’s last 6 games when playing at home against Cincinnati.
Pittsburgh is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Cincinnati.
Cincinnati is 5-0 SU when leading at the half this season. Pittsburgh is 2-1 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
Remarkably, Pittsburgh is winless (0-2) SU in games where it wins the turnover battle, yet 3-1 SU when losing the turnover battle.
Since the start of last season, both teams are .500 in AFC North games. Pittsburgh is 4-4 SU against divisional opponents, while Cincinnati is 3-3 SU against AFC North foes.
Pittsburgh is rated higher in the ground game on both sides of the ball. Its ninth-ranked rushing attack will face the 16th-ranked run defense of Cincinnati, while its eighth-ranked rush defense will look to contain the 12th-ranked run game of the Bengals.
Pittsburgh has only allowed 18.0 points per game at home this year, which ranks it eighth in the league. Cincinnati, however, has scored 31.7 points per contest on the road (ranked third overall).