Steelers-Bengals: What the Teams Need To Do To Win

Who would have thought that the Week Three matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals would have this much meaning?

The Bengals are one tipped pass and miracle touchdown away from being 2-0.

The Steelers are two missed Jeff Reed field goals against the Chicago Bears from also being 2-0.

The Baltimore Ravens, who struggled against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week One, lead the AFC North at 2-0.  The Ravens play the Cleveland Browns this weekend, so it is a real possibility that the loser of the Steelers-Bengals game will be two games behind the Ravens.

Offense

The Cincinnati Bengals have been successful through running the ball and controlling the clock.

Cedric Benson is ranked sixth in the NFL with 217 yards on 50 carries.  To have a ball carrier average 25 carries a game is the solution to most of the problems the Bengals have had over the last few years.

If Carson Palmer, who is recovering from an injury to his throwing shoulder, does not have to carry the weight of the world on his arm, that spells success for the Bengals.

Against the Bears, the Steelers tried to break their own self-imposed trend of throwing the ball 40 times a game by rushing for 105 yards against the Bears.

The key for the Cincinnati Bengals to succeed on offense: They have to run the football. Easier said than done against a Steelers team that has not finished worse than third against the run in the last four years and not allowed any running back over 100 yards in over two years.

The Bengals are going to have to run the ball to be successful against the Steelers.  If Benson cannot rush for more than 75 yards on 25 carries, then the Bengals could be in for a long day.

The Steelers, on the other hand, have to keep Ben Roethlisberger off the ground.  The Bengals defense is a lot better than most people give them credit for.  In two games, Antwan Odom has seven sacks, five of them coming against the Green Bay Packers last week.

If he has that kind of success against the Steelers, then Roethlisberger is in for a very long day.

Defense

After a lackluster, two-sack effort against the Chicago Bears, the Steelers defense is going to be playing the Bengals with their ears pinned back and a chip on their shoulder.

They are going to have to shut the running of Benson down and force Palmer to use his injured arm to beat them.

As for the Bengals, they are riding on a wave of emotion.

The defense shut down the Packers and even returned an interception for a score.  The Bengals are going to have to attack Roethlisberger and hit him early and often if they want to keep him from getting into any kind of rhythm.

I expect a hard-hitting, smash-mouth, old school football game between two defenses that are primed to be two of the best in the NFL.  Unfortunately for the Bengals, this plays right into the Steelers' hands.

Don't expect a boatload of points in this game, as the defenses are better than the offenses for both teams.  The Steelers' defense is just a little bit better than the Bengals'.

Steelers win 24-17.