Steelers vs. Bengals: What's the Game Plan for Cincinnati?

As it should, a late-season showdown between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals features plenty swinging in the balance. 

For Pittsburgh, it's about sneaking closer in the division and staying on track for a wild-card spot after winning three of four. For the hosts, it's an eye on the top seed in the conference after a fresh two-game streak.

These two met in Week 8 in what was supposed to be an offensive-minded affair. Instead, Cincinnati came away with a 16-10 road victory while the defense intercepted Ben Roethlisberger three times.

Here's what to expect for the rematch from Cincinnati's standpoint.

Offensive Game Plan

David Richard/Associated Press

Expect the re-commitment to the ground game and running back Jeremy Hill to continue with the Steelers in town. 

After a sluggish start to the season, Hill now has back-to-back season bests of 86 and 98 rushing yards. Last week against the Cleveland Browns, he also set a season high with 22 carries.

Call it a rather expected development. The Bengals seemed to be saving Hill for later in the season, though it helps he's been keeping his shoulder pads more square with the line of scrimmage in recent weeks. But Cincinnati doesn't want to keep riding the smaller Giovani Bernard as the workhorse, nor does it want Andy Dalton struggling to make things happen in the cold.

Cincinnati fell on the receiving end of criticism after the first game against the Steelers considering Dalton attempted 38 passes to just 16 rushing attempts by running backs.

While Pittsburgh allows just 90.3 rushing yards per game on average, Hill managed to post four yards per carry on the unit with his 15 attempts for 60 yards. More of that only makes sense, especially with the Bengals wanting to limit the defense's exposure to a high-flying Pittsburgh attack with cornerback Adam Jones doubtful for the contest, according to Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Running with Hill won't be simple, but it will keep a Pittsburgh secondary coughing up 275.5 passing yards per game honest, meaning big plays down the field if and when the coaches open up the playbook in a vertical manner.

Defensive Game Plan

It looks next to impossible to stop this version of the Steelers, who have posted at least 30 points in four straight games, a far cry from the month-long Michael Vick-Landry Jones saga while Big Ben recovered from injury. 

With Martavis Bryant, Markus Wheaton and Antonio Brown perhaps forming the best trio of wideouts in the game right now, it's going to be a tall order for the injured Bengals to spread thin and account for all the weapons.

In the first encounter, Pittsburgh rushed it just 19 times but totaled 116 yards and a 6.1 per-carry average. Expect to see a heavy dose of DeAngelo Williams as the Steelers employ a similar strategy to the mentioned Cincinnati game plan.

Domata Peko, for one, doesn't sound too concerned either way.

“We haven't changed much at all scheme-wise,” Peko said, according to Ralph N. Paulk of TribLive.com. “But we have more depth with Johnson and (defensive tackle) Pat Sims. We're keeping our guys fresh, and they can't rotate their offensive line, so we'll be tough to crack.”

Expect plenty of stunts and blitzes from the Bengals Sunday as they look to clog running lanes and force Big Ben into mistakes like last time out. The unit won't have much of a choice with several backups playing the entire game in the secondary.

Key Players and Matchups

Dre Kirkpatrick 

With Jones likely out of the picture, it's up to Dre Kirkpatrick to step into No. 1-corner duties against a triple-headed monster and lead the charge.

It's been an iffy year for Kirkpatrick, who over at Pro Football Focus grades out as the No. 114 corner in the league on a list evaluating 116 players. The numbers aren't an end-all, be-all, but it's important to note he did post his second-worst overall grade of the season and his worst pass-coverage grade against the Steelers.

If Kirkpatrick can improve, he can at least neutralize one of the three threats and force the ball elsewhere.

Jeremy Hill

Ron Schwane/Associated Press

Hill's looked impressive over the last few weeks after simply appearing to lack confidence for most of the season after early fumbles.

So far, the coaching staff's plan has worked.

With two games of strong running under his belt, Hill hits a rematch with the Steelers touting plenty of momentum and the knowledge he put on a strong showing against one of the league's best units the last time out.

Given a heavier workload this time around for various reasons, Hill has to make his average hover in the same area again.

Offensive Line

It's up to the offensive line to get Hill to the second level.

Perhaps more important, though, is an improvement in play across the board compared to the last time these two sides met. There, the Cincinnati line allowed three sacks of Dalton, which in part helped to produce the two interceptions.

Cameron Heyward and the Steelers won't stop applying the pressure all day long. The pressure of a response that might decide the game rests on the shoulders of a unit looking for a bit of redemption against a division rival.

Prediction

Frank Victores/Associated Press

It's right to expect more fireworks this time. 

A different result? Doubtful.

While Cincinnati has looked balanced and hung with (and occasionally beat) tough teams all season, Pittsburgh needed a stretch with wins over Oakland, Cleveland and Indianapolis for its current hype.

Cincinnati is better than the last matchup, injuries or not, in large part thanks to the emergence of the ground game. Hill's going to have a big day and offer Dalton the leisure of dropping back at home.

A hobbled defense will give up a big play or two, but a cold, playoff-like atmosphere and relentless pass rush will keep Big Ben in check and the Steelers at an arm's length—both in the game and in the division.

Prediction: Bengals 30, Steelers 17

Stats courtesy of NFL.com and are accurate as of December 11. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.