Bengals vs. Steelers: Breaking Down Pittsburgh's Game Plan

We’ve finally made it to Week 17 of the NFL regular season. And, of course, the Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves in the middle of a playoff battle.

The Steelers are putting a big shiny bow on the regular season with a prime-time showdown with the Cincinnati Bengals, which has been flexed to the Sunday Night Football event. Yeah, it’s kind of a big deal.

If the Steelers can beat the Bengals for the second time in a month, they will secure their sixth AFC North title (plus 15 AFC Central titles) and right the wrongs of a two-year playoff absence.

However, if you think this game is going to be a repeat of the 42-21 beatdown the Steelers handed the Bengals in Week 14, you are going to be sorely disappointed. The Steelers offense manhandled Cincinnati, and the Bengals had no answer for Pittsburgh's passing or rushing attack.

Before we delve into the Steelers' game plan for this week, let’s take a look at the tale of the tape between these teams. Graphics courtesy of statmilk.com.

When the Steelers Are on Offense

In the first game against Cincinnati, the Steelers offense could pretty much do whatever it wanted.

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger finished with 350 yards passing, and running back Le’Veon Bell chipped in with 185 yards rushing. This week, look for a much more prepared and aggressive Bengals defense to be on display.

Against the Denver Broncos on Monday night, the Cincinnati defense confounded future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning for a good chunk of the game with multiple shifts and defensive adjustments before the snap. Every time Manning made a check, the Bengals defense countered.

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

How will the Steelers counter this? They’ll do it by picking up the tempo once they are at the line of scrimmage. Pittsburgh has enough weapons to be able to move the football on the NFL’s No. 22-ranked defense.

Roethlisberger and offensive coordinator Todd Haley need a plan that works on rhythm and tempo, using quick-hitting run and pass plays to keep the Bengals from shifting. There’s nothing worse for a defense than being caught in mid-shift when the ball is snapped.

Nevertheless, the one thing you can expect out of Pittsburgh on Sunday is the unexpected. Against Kansas City, Pittsburgh used multiple formations and personnel groupings to keep the hyper-aggressive Chiefs defense guessing. The 10-best pass plays the Steelers had last Sunday came out of seven different formations. Look for plenty more of that against Cincinnati.

The same can be said for the run game. Pittsburgh had very good luck running the football against Kansas City when they did two things. First, the team ran behind guard David DeCastro. Second, the Steelers ran quick set ups in their run plays. Don’t ask the offensive line to take too long to get into their defenders, and better still, don’t ask them to hold those blocks any longer than necessary.

Frank Victores/Associated Press

In terms of a prediction, aside from Bell and wide receiver Antonio Brown, who always get their numbers, look for rookie wide receiver Martavis Bryant to continue to build on his great rookie season. Bryant only has 25 catches (in nine games), but his seven touchdowns ranks second on the team, and his 21.1 yards per catch leads the team significantly. I expect two or three splash plays from the rookie on Sunday night.

When the Steelers Are on Defense

Last Sunday, the Steelers defense got its groove back. It was like Santa got my letter and gave me a Steelers pass rush for Christmas. Now, if he doesn’t give me a big fat lump of coal on Sunday night, it’ll be a Christmas miracle.

In all seriousness, the Steelers defense came up huge against the Chiefs last Sunday. Was it in part due to the fact that Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith and head coach Andy Reid seem completely averse to throwing deep? Probably so. Regardless, Pittsburgh found something on the right side of that defensive line with defensive end Cameron Heyward and linebacker James Harrison.

Don Wright/Associated Press

The problem with running those stunts is when Cincinnati decides to run the football with running back Jeremy Hill, there could be some serious running lanes exposed. This didn’t deter the Steelers against running back Jamaal Charles, so I don’t look for them to shy away from it this Sunday. Ultimately, getting after quarterback Andy Dalton is my top priority if I am defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau.

The reason I put Dalton as a higher priority than Hill is because wide receiver A.J. Green eviscerated the Pittsburgh secondary the last time the teams faced off. And there’s a real chance this incarnation will be worse than the one on the field the day Green got 11 receptions for 224 yards and a touchdown.

This is what the Steelers did to the Chiefs, and it can work again. Focus on keeping the quarterback rattled and dictate when Cincinnati runs it. If the defense can make the Bengals predictable in early downs, they will create third-and-long situations in which they can just tee off on Dalton. When Cincinnati runs, chase and tackle, wrap up and don't give up cheap runs on the back side.

John Grieshop/Getty Images

Predictions for this side of the football? Expect another big game from Heyward. And I just have a funny feeling that this is the game in which linebacker Jarvis Jones finally gets off the sidelines and makes a big play or two. Whether it’s a big stop in the run game or a timely sack, I think Jones finishes a disappointing season strong.

Predictions and Implications

Obviously, Pittsburgh is in the playoffs regardless of what happens on Sunday night. However, where the Steelers land is of significant importance. How big? Steelers PR guy Burt Lauten lays it out in this tweet. 

"

Appears w/ a win on Sunday vs the #Bengals, the @steelers clinch the #3 seed. With a loss, the #5 Steelers travel to play at the #4 @Colts

— Burt Lauten (@SteelersPRBurt) December 23, 2014"

Getting that home playoff game against the No. 6 seed rather than travel to Indianapolis to play the Colts would be huge. Even though the Steelers beat the Colts 51-34 during Week 8, getting some home cooking in the first round would be tremendous.

Understanding this, the Steelers are going to come out and play with the type of energy they did last Sunday against Kansas City, and the offense is going to hum. Let’s bring on the playoffs!

Steelers 34, Bengals 28

All stats courtesy of NFL.com.