Bengals vs. Steelers Matchups That Will Decide the Game

After a strong game in Week 2 for the Cincinnati Bengals, they travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers and Bengals rivalry has largely been dominated by the Steelers, though the Bengals have won two out of the last three meetings. The Bengals are sitting at 2-0, while the Steelers are 1-1.

However, the Bengals are a team with Super Bowl aspirations, while the Steelers don’t seem to be on that level. However, the Steelers always play the Bengals hard and this year will be no different. There are some matchups to watch going into this game and could be the deciding factors in who wins. 

Bengals Tackles vs Steelers Edge Rushers

The Steelers have a strong edge room. TJ Watt has been one of the best in the NFL for a long time now, but Alex Highsmith, Nick Herbig and Jack Sawyer also give the Steelers a lot of depth at the position. Amarius Mims has been one of the best right tackles in football to start the season, but Orlando Brown Jr. struggled against the Houston Texans in Week 2. 

The Bengals need Brown to recover this week and play at a much higher level. The Bengals won last week even with the Texans getting after Burrow, but if the Steelers cause chaos in the backfield, it can lead to turnovers and really make things more difficult on Burrow and company. 

Bengals Receivers vs Steelers Secondary

One of the biggest questions for the week is who is going to be playing cornerback for the Steelers. Jamel Dean didn’t participate in practice Wednesday and Joey Porter Jr was a limited participant. Porter is still in the midst of his contract dispute as well. The Steelers have a strong history of making things difficult for the Bengals receivers, but if Dean or Porter or both sit out this week, it will be a much more difficult thing for them. 

The Bengals will be without Andrei Iosivas for several weeks after an injury, but Dohnte Meyers and Colbie Young should be able to step in and give the Bengals as much as Iosivas did. If the Steelers are able to shut down Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, the Steelers could keep this game close. However, if Dean and Porter are out and they get going, this game could get out of hand quickly. 

The Bengals and Steelers is a rivalry between two teams that don’t like each other. They are also two teams that look to be headed in different directions. The Bengals are Super Bowl contenders, while the Steelers look like a team that could be heading towards a rebuild of sorts. However, the Steelers will play hard against the Bengals and these two matchups are likely to decide this game.