Two archrivals meet in our second Wild Card Playoff game of the day when the Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6) try to use the gift the Buffalo Bills gave them last week by taking out the AFC North champion Cincinnati Bengals (12-4) win the wild card round.
Scroll on down for the live blog. Keep reading for preview information.
First here’s my pick from The FAQ.
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati (+3)
These two might be the scariest teams in the AFC playoff bracket. For the Bengals (12-4) it’s all going to come down to the play of quarterback A.J. McCarron who once again must step in for Andy Dalton, who had this team primed for a Super Bowl run before breaking his thumb last month. McCarron hasn’t played better than Dalton, but he’s done well and a victory here in the playoffs could very well give him the starting job next season since Dalton, as good as he’s been, has never won a playoff game.
The Steelers (10-6) enter this game after barely surviving the regular season. A devistating loss to the Baltimore Ravens two weeks ago should have sealed their fate, but thanks to the Buffalo Bills and Rex Ryan once again ruining the New York Jets’ postseason plans, the Steelers make the tournament and bring one of the most potent offenses in the NFL along with them.
These two teams split their regular season match-ups. With Dalton at quarterback the Bengals won 16-10 back on Nov. 1. With McCarron at the helm, the Steelers won 33-20 on Dec. 13. If my perfect run is in danger this week, I feel like this is the game. Still, I’m going with Pittsburgh. Steelers 28, Bengals 24
And here’s my entries for each team in the final regular season Power Rankings.
3. Cincinnati Bengals – (12-4) A.J. McCarron has been a fine substitute quarterback, but if the Bengals want to really be in the Super Bowl mix Andy Dalton has to play Sunday. Last week: No. 5
9. Pittsburgh Steelers – (10-6) The Steelers got a great gift from Buffalo and now they need to use it to spoil Cincinnati’s postseason plans. Last week: No. 12
And finally here’s our GMS Preview.
It will be an AFC North clash in the AFC Wild Card Playoff as the Pittsburgh Steelers travel to play the Cincinnati Bengals. This game will feature the NFL’s second-leading receiver, Antonio Brown (1,834 yards, 10 TDs). It will begin Saturday, Jan 9 at 8:15 p.m. ET and can be seen on CBS.
The Bengals and Steelers last met in Week 14, when Pittsburgh beat Cincinnati 33-20. A.J. Green had a great outing in that game, totaling six catches for 132 yards and one TD. Heath Miller had a quality performance for Pittsburgh, registering 10 catches for 66 yards. DeAngelo Williams had a big day as well, contributing 76 yards and two TDs on 23 attempts.
Pittsburgh is a slight two-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is 46 points.
Heading into Week 18 of league action, the Bengals are 12-4 Straight Up (SU) and 12-3-1 Against The Spread (ATS). In the past five games, Cincinnati is 3-2 for both SU and ATS. The Bengals passing game will face below-average pass coverage. The Steelers currently rank 30th in the NFL with 271.9 passing yards allowed per game. Turning to the Bengals defense, a few key spots could be deciding factors this week. The Steelers will be matching up against a skilled Cincinnati run defense, which allowed 75.8 rushing yards over its last five matchups. One of the keys to the game will be if the Bengals can take advantage of the turnover-prone Steelers, who rank 30th in the league in turnovers with two per road game. A strong start could benefit Cincinnati, because the Steelers are one of the league’s worst at allowing points in fourth quarter road games. They’ve given up an average of 8.6 fourth-quarter points on the road this season.
Moving to the road team, the Steelers have a record of 8-5-3 ATS and 10-6 SU. In the previous five games, Pittsburgh has a record of 4-1 SU and 3-1-1 ATS. As of late, the Steelers have found success on offense. During the last five games, they averaged 31 PPG, above their 26.4 PPG season average. Pittsburgh has found a lot of success through the air. Its 287.4 passing yards per game ranks third in the NFL. The Pittsburgh run defense has given teams problems during the past five games as well. During that time, opponents have gained an average of 85.8 rushing yards against this intimidating unit. Penalties don’t happen often when the Steelers play. They average the third-fewest penalties in the NFL with 5.9 per game.
Predictions: SU Winner – Pit, ATS Winner – Cin, O/U – Over
The game is on CBS at 8 p.m. You don’t want to miss it. Watch it with me.
