The Cincinnati Bengals (10-2) take on the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-5) this week in a game that will feature the NFL’s second-leading receiver, Antonio Brown (1,310 yards, 7 TDs). Kickoff is at 1:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, Dec 13 and will air on CBS.
The last time the Bengals and Steelers met was in Week 8, when Cincinnati defeated Pittsburgh 16-10. A.J. Green had a great performance in that game, grabbing 11 receptions for 118 yards and one TD. Heath Miller had a good outing for Pittsburgh in that game, pulling in 10 receptions for 105 yards.
Cincinnati is a three-point favorite against the Steelers. The Over/Under (O/U) line is currently at 47 points for this matchup.
Sitting at 10-2 Straight Up (SU) and 10-1-1 Against The Spread (ATS), the Bengals will look to improve heading into Week 14. In their five most recent matchups, the Bengals went 3-2 SU and 4-1 ATS. The passing game could be a priority for Cincinnati against a Pittsburgh pass defense that ranks 29th in the league with 90.3 yards allowed per game. The Bengals have the league’s best scoring defense at home with 15.2 points allowed per home game. Pittsburgh will be matching up against a stout Bengals defense which has been playing better, allowing 294 YPG over their last five matchups. An important aspect of the game will be if the Bengals can capitalize on Pittsburgh’s tendency to turn the ball over. The Steelers currently rank 27th in the league with two turnovers per road game. Cincinnati will look to take advantage of the inability of the Steelers to prevent scoring in the fourth quarter, allowing an average of 8.8 points. Special teams is a weakness for Pittsburgh that the Bengals may use to their advantage. On average, the Steelers have allowed 100.7 return yards per game.
Shifting to the opposition, the Steelers head into Week 14 with records of 6-4-2 ATS and 7-5 SU. Over their last five games, the Steelers have a SU record of 3-2 and a 2-3 record ATS. Pittsburgh has made opposing defenses suffer as of late, averaging 30 points per game over the last five games. This improved stretch brought its season average to 25.9 PPG. Pittsburgh has performed well against defenses over the past five games, putting up an average of 494.4 total yards during that time. Over the last five games, the Steelers have improved their run defense, allowing an average of 77.2 rushing yards per game. You probably won’t see much carelessness from Pittsburgh that could cost them the game. With an average of only 5.7 per game, they earn the fewest penalties in the league.
Predictions: SU Winner – Pit, ATS Winner – Pit, O/U – Over
Notes
Cincinnati is 10-2 SU in its last 12 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Cincinnati’s last 6 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Cincinnati’s last 6 games at home.
Cincinnati is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home.
Cincinnati is 5-1-1 ATS in its last 7 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Cincinnati’s last 8 games when playing Pittsburgh.
Cincinnati is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games when playing Pittsburgh.
Cincinnati is 3-8 ATS in its last 11 games when playing Pittsburgh.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Cincinnati’s last 7 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh is 5-3 SU when leading at the half this season. Cincinnati is 8-2 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
Interestingly, Pittsburgh is winless (0-4) SU in games where it wins the turnover battle, yet 6-1 SU when losing the turnover battle.
The Pittsburgh defense has forced an average of 2.4 turnovers over its last five games. Cincinnati is an even 3-3 SU this season when turning the ball over at least 2.0 times in a game.
The Cincinnati passing attack is ranked 12th in the league, while the Pittsburgh pass defense is only ranked 29th. The Steelers’ passing game is ranked fifth, compared to the 13th-ranked pass defense of the Bengals.
Pittsburgh has given up 23.2 points per game on the road, which ranks it 17th in the league. Cincinnati has scored 25.8 points per contest at home (ranked ninth overall).
