There will be some familiar faces wearing new colors, so lets get you caught up on what to expect when the Cincinnati Bengals come to Heinz Field this Sunday at 1 p.m.
The biggest strength of this Bengals team is an expensive defensive line: they have $150 million invested in DT DJ Reader and DE’s Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard. That position unit, along with DT’s Larry Ogunjobi and BJ Hill, has recorded all 6 of Cincinnati’s sacks and 7 of their 12 TFLs this year; safe to say they’re earning every cent of those paychecks.
Ogunjobi – who Steelers fans will remember as Miles Garrett’s accomplice in the infamous Helmet Swinging Incident – has been limited so far in practice this week. He looks questionable to appear in this game with a – you’ll never guess this one – groin injury. UPDATE: Ogunjobi practiced fully on Friday and was not given a game designation, so he will suit up on Sunday.
On the back end, the tandem of FS Jessie Bates III and SS Vonn Bell is one of the better units in football. They have 14 and 13 tackles (respectively); MLB Logan Wilson (16) is the only Bengal with more tackles. Prototypically, Bates and Bell are very similar to the Steelers’ starting safeties: Bell can usually be found clogging up the box and Bates is the deep center fielder.
Slot CB Mike Hilton is another of the familiar faces returning this week. The former Steeler nickelback signed a 4-year, $24 million contract with Cincinnati this off-season, and he’s brought a fresh air of accountability to a Bengals secondary (so long, Pac-Man Jones). Look for Hilton wearing #21 coming after Big Ben off the edge.
Cincinnati’s defense held Dalvin Cook to 61 yards on 20 totes in the week one matchup. In week two, they contained Bears’ RB David Montgomery for – you’ll never guess this one, either – 61 yards on 20 carries. This week might not be Najee’s coming out party as a RB, but the Steelers will move him around and try to get him the ball in space so he can make plays like this one against the Lions in the preseason:
As solid as their defensive front is, the Bengals’ offensive line falls on the opposite side of that coin. They’ve surrendered 10 sacks and 16 QB hits in the first two games, and need to do a better job of protecting sophomore QB Joe Burrow. He threw three interceptions on three consecutive pass attempts last week in a loss to the Bears, and two of the three were bail-out throws with a man in his face.
His favorite target – WR Tee Higgins – has not practiced this week with a shoulder injury. In addition to leading the team in targets, Higgins is also tied for first in receptions (10) and TD’s (2). His absence would be significant. UPDATE: Higgins was limited in practice on Friday and is listed as doubtful.
In his place Burrow will look to his college teammate and this year’s fifth overall pick: WR Ja’Marr Chase. After an abysmal camp and preseason (plagued by drops and an inability to create separation) he’s turned his young career around and leads the team in yards (155) and TD’s (2). He’s another guy who can go Henry Ruggs on your ass in a second; the Steelers will need to commit to keeping a lid on this offense, which will open up opportunities in intermediate yardage. MLB’s Joe Schobert and Devin Bush might hear their name called a lot in this game, sweeping up the clutter underneath.
Former Pitt WR Tyler Boyd is another weapon, speaking of familiar faces. He’s tied with Higgins for most catches (10) and is second on the team in targets (13).
RB Joe Mixon (4.0 YPC, 98.0 YPG) figures to have a heavy workload this week. Look for the Bengals to lean heavily on the run and try to frustrate the Steelers’ elite edge pass rush and take some of the pressure off Burrow’s arm.
UPDATE: Two other Bengals starters are also designated doubtful this week: CB Trae Waynes was limited throughout the week, and RG Xavier Su’a-Filo has not practiced.
The Steelers don’t have any pity for the Bengals; they have plenty of health issues of their own. The leaders on both side of the ball – QB Ben Roethlisberger and LB TJ Watt – were limited in practice today. WR Diontae Johnson, LB Alex Highsmith, DE Carlos Davis, CB Justin Layne and MLB Marcus Allen were all non-participants. DE Stephon Tuitt is still on IR and not eligible to return until at least next week, and DT Tyson Alualu was placed on IR this week and will be unavailable for much of – if not all – of the 2021 season. Click on the links provided to read about their prognoses, from Dr. Melanie Friedlander.
On the plus side, TE Eric Ebron, CB Joe Haden and MLB Devin Bush were all full participants of Thursday’s practice. Barring any setbacks, they should play on Sunday.
UPDATE: DJ. Highsmith and Carlos Davis are down this week. TJ is listed as questionable after being limited in practice for a third straight day. No other Steeler received a game status; that means Ben, Joe Haden, Justin Layne, Devin Bush, Eric Ebron and Marcus Allen will all be available.
The key for the Steelers in this game is getting that Bengals D-line chasing your guys, instead of letting them come downhill at you all afternoon. Get Najee the ball out of the backfield, get those big boys turned around, huffing and puffing, and keep your QB on his feet. Ben spoke this past week about getting TE Pat Freiermuth more involved in the offense; look for #88 when the Steelers get into the red zone.
Something to keep in mind for the second meeting: the Bengals place gets loud, man. The fans at Paul Brown Stadium forced the Vikings into THREE false start penalties on the opening drive in the season opener. Better take care of your business at home this weekend, otherwise you very well could get swept by the Cincinnati Bengals. Sorry, I threw up a little in my mouth there.
Steely Cam 