Bengals vs. Steelers: Complete Week 17 Preview for Cincinnati
A Week 17 showdown with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football is all that stands between the Cincinnati Bengals and an AFC North crown.
Andy Dalton and the Bengals are already headed to the playoffs regardless of the outcome thanks to a Week 16 triumph over Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football.
What comes into view now, though, is what seed the Bengals will occupy, when they will play and against which team.
The victory over Denver did much to exorcise Cincinnati's prime-time demons, but it was just a few weeks back that the Steelers entered Paul Brown Stadium and left with a 42-21 decision in hand.
One last proof of growth remains for the Bengals before the postseason. It only feels right that it comes against Pittsburgh.
Week 16 Recap
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The Bengals flinched but never folded against Denver this past Monday.
Time and again, the Bengals have struggled over the course of the past three or more years to respond in the face of adversity.
Last Monday, Andy Dalton tossed an early interception that Denver's Aqib Talib took back for a touchdown. The team responded with a 20-7 lead at halftime. The third quarter went to Denver in 21-7 fashion, but Cincinnati again responded with the only points in the final frame to take the 37-28 victory.
In the process, the Bengals held Peyton Manning to 311 yards, two scores and four interceptions. Two of those went to Dre Kirkpatrick, who experienced a bit of a coming-of-age story after replacing the ineffective Terence Newman.
Dalton struggled his way to 146 yards with a pair of touchdowns and the interception but once again rode the Jeremy Hill train. The rookie rumbled for 147 yards and a score.
Cincinnati needs another strong performance by Hill Sunday night, as well as the pass defense to remain firm. If those things can happen, the Bengals can take the division.
News and Notes
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Jeremy Hill's Search for Improvement
The Bengals are to this point in large part thanks to the efforts of rookie back Jeremy Hill.
Hill rushed for 147 yards and a score against Denver last week, but what seems to weigh heavy on the mind is a fumble late in the game, his fifth on the year.
"It's something I'm not used to doing, and I still can't get used to," Hill said, per ESPN.com's Coley Harvey. "You've just got to learn from it and continue to go out there and continue to fight and try to overcome adversity."
The fumble did lead to a Denver score that put the Bengals behind, but the theme Monday was resiliency, so the Bengals did recover from the issue.
That said, Hill's desire to improve and subsequent on-field results are something to watch.
2015 Pro Bowl
How is this for obvious news: Wide receiver A.J. Green and punter Kevin Huber are going to the 2015 Pro Bowl.
Andrew Whitworth, not so much.
Green is an obvious choice thanks to 61 grabs for 959 yards and six scores despite time off due to injury. So is Huber, who averages 46.7 yards per attempt.
The roster selection is often a popularity contest, so it makes sense Whitworth misses the cut. It is a travesty, though, really. Over at Pro Football Focus (subscription required), he ranks as the top tackle in the NFL with just eight hurries and no sacks allowed all season long.
Regardless, the mostly good news continues to pile up for the Bengals during the holiday season.
Dre Kirkpatrick Takes Home Awards
The owner of two interceptions and a touchdown, Dre Kirkpatrick now has some individual hardware to show for his efforts Monday night.
Harvey provides the scoop:
"#Bengals CB Dre Kirkpatrick was named NFL's Defensive Player of the Week today after intercepting Peyton Manning twice in closing min Monday
— Coley Harvey (@ColeyHarvey) December 24, 2014"
An ability to take advantage of Peyton Manning in front of a global audience has a way of doing that for a player.
The hope in the organization now has to be that this translates to a turning point for Kirkpatrick, who still rests fourth on the depth chart at corner. Against a prolific Pittsburgh offense Sunday night, Cincinnati will need the Alabama product at his best once more.
Injury Report
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| Player | Position | Injury Status |
| Andy Dalton | QB | Probable |
| A.J. Green | WR | Questionable |
It sounds as if an illness bug continues to sweep the locker room at this point in Cincinnati.
Other than that, A.J. Green's status on here is a given based on his showing last week. It would be a surprise to not see him suit up after tests found no serious damage to his arm injury.
*All injury reports are from ESPN.com. This slide will be updated when the official report is released.
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X-Factor and Matchups to Watch
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Bengals Linebackers vs. Le'Veon Bell
There is a lot to learn from Cincinnati's Week 14 loss to Pittsburgh.
One is that Rey Maualuga and the linebackers need to play better against Steelers' star back Le'Veon Bell.
Maualuga stuffed the stat sheet with eight total tackles, as did Vincent Rey with 15. The problem was the downright misses and bad angles, as Bell broke free for 185 yards and two scores on the ground with another 50 yards and a score through the air.
Bell will be the focal point of the Steelers attack once more, especially after finding so much success against these Bengals the first time around.
To be fair, linebacker play has improved since the disaster of a performance. It will need another uptick to contain arguably the league's best overall back.
Bengals Secondary vs. Pittsburgh Wideouts
Is it this easy to tell that the Cincinnati defense turned in a horrible performance in the first game against Pittsburgh?
The secondary was also a major issue. Ben Roethlisberger threw for 350 yards and a trio of scores. One went to Martavis Bryant, who caught four passes for 109 yards. Antonio Brown led the team in receiving with nine catches for 117 yards.
There is a positive trend in the works, though. Terence Newman struggled in the loss, but Dre Kirkpatrick's outburst is an encouraging sign that the Bengals can better align against Pittsburgh wideouts this time around.
Much of the problem in the first game was a lack of pressure, too. The defensive line looks much better in recent weeks, although whether the line can actually bring down Big Ben is a valid question.
Regardless, less time in coverage will help the secondary. A few shuffles and adjustments will help, too.
X-Factor of the Week: Jeremy Hill
Here is the thing about Sunday night's matchup—Andy Dalton can play well and the Bengals will lose.
Dalton posted a 21-of-29 mark for 302 yards and two scores in the first encounter with Pittsburgh, yet the Bengals still went down in a lopsided loss.
Rookie Jeremy Hill, who has been the spark in recent weeks, rushed just eight times for 46 yards. That per-carry average of 5.8 is proof enough that the LSU product can find room against the Pittsburgh defense.
It is a guarantee the Cincinnati staff will use Hill more often this time around, lead or not.
As strange as it sounds, the onus of production and postseason fortunes for the Bengals once again falls on the shoulders of a rookie.
Prediction
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Two red-hot teams with seemingly unstoppable running backs collide in Pittsburgh to close the season.
Pittsburgh is just as hot as Cincinnati right now. Winners of three straight, a top-two passing attack figures to give the Bengals plenty of problems once again.
These Bengals are on a roll, though, so long as the staff continues to deploy its players in a smart manner (as in, feed the ball to Jeremy Hill) and said players continue to fight through adversity.
It is encouraging that Carlos Dunlap and the Cincinnati defensive line continues to generate pressure on its own, which will prove to be a key point in Sunday's encounter. Ben Roethlisberger can and will make mistakes as a result.
Hill will carry the Cincinnati offense once again, while Jermaine Gresham near the end zone continues to be money (four touchdowns in his past five games). On the heels of a strong defensive performance, look for Cincinnati to steal one and claim the AFC North title.
Prediction: Bengals 24, Steelers 23
Note: Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics via Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
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