Winning Turnover Battle Key for Bengals in Week 8 Matchup with Steelers

There are plenty of things to point out when conversing about the 6-0 Cincinnati Bengals and the reason for the historic start.

The turnover battle doesn't come up first, and maybe not even second, but it will decide the team's Week 8 trip to Pittsburgh for an AFC North encounter with the Steelers outright.

Think about it. Some point to the health of the weapons around Andy Dalton. Others beat their chest over the fact Dalton simply looks more accurate and poised, maybe even with better mechanics, healthy weapons or not. Some also like to point out the fact the Bengals might be the healthiest team in the league, having yet to make an alteration to the original 53-man roster.

The turnover battle just isn't high on the list. Marvin Lewis' team sits at a plus-three turnover margin, which happens to be tied with the Steelers.

The caveat? Pittsburgh was one of the best in the league in this area before this past weekend, when the team fell to 4-3 with a 23-13 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. There, backup quarterback Landry Jones threw a pair of picks and coughed up the football on the ground once. 

It's impressive, though, that the Steelers were ranked so highly in the first place given the Week 3 injury to quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Credit the new-look defense, sans familiar faces such as Troy Polamalu and with new leaders such as Cameron Heyward, which has picked off five passes and forced four fumbles.

The same numbers as the Bengals unit, sans the same amount of hype.

The thing is, it sounds like it's Roethlisberger time for the Steelers. Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette provided an update on Big Ben's comeback bid:

Of Pittsburgh's five interceptions and 18 sacks, Big Ben stands responsible for just two and five, respectively. He's going to take great care of the football at home if he returns Sunday, pushing the Steelers back up the turnover rankings unless the Cincinnati defense can do something about it.

Defensive end Carlos Dunlap isn't shy about the task at hand, as Joe Danneman of Fox 19 captured:

Last year's two contests say quite a lot about how the turnover battle can influence this particular rivalry:

	CIN turnovers	PIT turnovers	Score
Week 14 vs. PIT	2	0	PIT 42-21
Week 17 at PIT	3	3	PIT 27-17

Folks will remember both of those contests featured critical late turnovers by the Cincinnati offense that either led to major runs or furthered the gap to an impossible distance.

So far, it doesn't seem like the Bengals tout these similar turnover issues on offense this year. Dalton's taking good care of the football behind one of the league's best lines, with the only real black eye two lost fumbles by Jeremy Hill, who right now looks stuck in the quicksand known as a committee.

Then again, looks can be deceiving, no matter how great Cincinnati has appeared.

This is a physical AFC North battle off a bye week, an odd situation in itself considering the Bengals came out of the bye last year after a 3-0 start and took a 43-17 whipping at the hands of the New England Patriots. The team is 4-7-1 under Lewis after a bye. Heck, it would be borderline unethical not to mention the fact Cincinnati's 6-0, but the combined record of those six teams sits at 14-26.

Gary Landers/Associated Press

So it's easy to say Cincinnati's short passing game, creative looks and Dalton's newfound poise behind a great line will lead to protection of the football on the road, but many factors suggest this might not prove to be the case.

The best the Bengals can do on defense is apply pressure throughout the game and better contain coverage lapses of past weeks, ripping at the ball on every snap. The best they can do on offense is exactly what has worked so far with continued strong decision-making from Dalton under center, where a throwaway takes significant precedence over a risk down the field in an iffy situation.

A trip to Pittsburgh for a date with the much-better-than-expected Steelers, despite missing Big Ben, looks like the contest most will circle as the true barometer of quality for these Bengals.

Regardless of how many sit on either side of the real-or-fluke fence, the verdict pendulum will swing one way or the other based on how well Cincinnati takes care of and dislodges the football Sunday.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com and accurate as of October 26. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.