Red Zone the Biggest Challenge for Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cincinnati Bengals

The Pittsburgh Steelers have done a good job of scoring touchdowns this year and are averaging a sixth-best 25.9 points per game. They've done just as well keeping their opponents out of the end zone, with the Steelers giving up an average of 20 points per game and touchdowns on just 51.16 percent of their opponents' red-zone appearances.

But all of this will be tested significantly by the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. The division-leading Bengals will be the biggest red-zone challenge Pittsburgh's offense and defense have seen all season.

Cincinnati's defense is allowing the fewest points to opponents, at 16.3 per game and 15.2 points when at home. Opponents are seeing the red zone a league-low 2.2 times per game, compared to the 3.5 times the Steelers typically do (and 2.6 times on the road). As such, opponents are scoring touchdowns on just 44.44 percent of their red-zone appearances against the Bengals defense, and it drops to 23.08 percent when Cincinnati is home.

	RZ App/G	RZ TD%	PPG	Opp. RZ/G	Opp. RZ TD%	Opp. PPG
Steelers	3.5	57.14%	25.9	3.6	51.16%	20.0
Bengals	4.0	66.67%	27.8	2.2	44.44%	16.3

Meanwhile, the Bengals offense ranks third in points per game scored this year, at 27.8, and scores touchdowns on 66.67 percent of its average 4.1 red-zone appearances per game—and 70 percent of the time at home. At the same time, Pittsburgh, when on the road, is allowing touchdowns 75 percent of the time when opponents reach the red zone. 

To put it simply: The Bengals defense is stingy with the touchdowns it allows, most notably when playing at home. At the same time, their offense is more efficient at scoring than practically any other in the league. And while Pittsburgh's offense is strong enough to match wits with the Bengals, putting up points will be tough. Scoring for the Bengals, though, should come easier, given the Steelers' track record on the road.

Cincinnati scored 37 points last week against the Cleveland Browns, even though the Bengals lacked tight end Tyler Eifert, who has 12 touchdowns so far this year. They also gave up just three points to the Browns, and Cleveland's offense never saw the red zone.

While Pittsburgh's team is in a far different class than Cleveland's, the numbers posted by the Bengals this year cannot be ignored. The Steelers only managed 10 points against the Bengals earlier this season, and just once has an opponent—the Arizona Cardinals—cracked 30 or more points against Cincinnati's defense so far.

In fact, in the Bengals' last six games since their Week 7 bye, five of their opponents haven't earned more than 10 points. Meanwhile, the Bengals have scored 30 or more of their own four times. And in the comfort of their home field, where they have been dominating opponents regularly, the Steelers could find their high-scoring ways come to an end.

Even if Eifert misses Sunday's game, the Bengals have many ways to spread Pittsburgh's defense thin. Receivers A.J. Green, Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu are touchdown threats every time they catch a pass, especially against a Pittsburgh secondary that has been burned repeatedly this year.

John Grieshop/Getty Images

And it could be a tough day for Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Despite his ability to extend plays and throw quick passes for big after-catch yardage, his left tackle, Alejandro Villanueva, will have to take on Geno Atkins. Atkins has eight sacks so far this year, while Villanueva has already given up three sacks, three quarterback hits and 19 hurries, according to Pro Football Focus.

That's not to say that the Steelers won't have their opportunities. Given receivers like Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant and Markus Wheaton and the ageless running style of DeAngelo Williams, scoring chances will be there. But the Bengals' defensive prowess means that those opportunities will be limited.

Pittsburgh must take advantage of whatever it is given. That means not getting cute in the red zone with trick plays or fake field goals, but instead, slogging ahead through the muck and the mire for the elusive-in-Cincinnati touchdown. It also means the defense must play its most disciplined game of the season, limiting the missed tackles that have plagued it throughout the year.

For all of the points scored by the Steelers this year and all of the games in which they've held opponents to under 30 points, the red zone is the Bengals' domain. To win, Pittsburgh needs to change that.

It's not what happens between the 20s, but it is what transpires beyond them that is crucial for the Steelers this week.