Cincinnati Bengals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: Keys to Stay Atop the AFC North
The battered and bruised Pittsburgh Steelers return home to Heinz Field for an AFC North match with the equally bruised Cincinnati Bengals.
It is not the Bengals' bodies that are bruised, but rather their egos.
Cincinnati is in the midst of a nine-game losing streak, and wide receiver Chad Ochocinco is not happy.
“Every week it’s something different. We lost as a team and I’ll keep it at that,” said Ochocinco of the losing streak.
Terrell Owens was not so kind with his words.
“I just think that, coming here this year, with the opportunities that presented themselves with myself and Chad (Ochocinco), the progression of Jordan Shipley and Gresh (Jermaine Gresham), we could be a little more aggressive,” said Owens. “That's what I've thrived on all my career. There are times when I'm not the No. 1 option, but considering the things that I've done this year, I present matchup problems.”
Owens does have a point—he does present matchup problems. In fact, he presented plenty of matchup problems for the Steelers earlier this year in the Bengals' 27-21 loss.
For Pittsburgh, shutting down Owens will be one of the keys if they want to stay atop the AFC North. A win against the last-place Bengals will go a long way to securing not only a playoff spot, but also the division title.
Say No to T.O.
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To say that Terrell Owens was dominant against Pittsburgh earlier this season would be a drastic understatement.
Owens had the ball thrown in his direction 14 times and caught 10 passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns. Without his performance, Cincinnati would not have even been able to compete with Pittsburgh.
Bryant McFadden was unable to cover him, and so was William Gay. Each allowed Owens to beat him for a touchdown.
Gay was particularly bad this night and was continuously targeted by Carson Palmer and the Bengals offense.
Cincinnati’s other receiver, Chad Ochocinco, was shut down by Ike Taylor. He only had one reception for 15 yards.
Another big performance by Owens will keep the Bengals competitive, and therefore the Steelers will have to keep a close eye on him.
One possible solution is to have Taylor shadow Owens, but this would free up Ochocinco. However, given Owens' performance this season, with 12 more receptions and five more touchdowns than Ochocinco, Pittsburgh may shift Taylor to match up against him.
This would leave McFadden, who struggled last week, one-on-one against Ochocinco. He may need additional safety help from Troy Polamalu and Ryan Clark to prevent the big play.
But as long as Pittsburgh can keep Owens out of the end zone, they should come out on top.
Shield Ben
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Ben Roethlisberger will be wearing a shield on his helmet this week to protect his broken nose, but it is his offensive line that will have to shield him from Cincinnati’s pass rush.
While Cincinnati only sacked Roethlisberger once in the first meeting, they got to face him when he was healthy.
Roethlisberger is still hobbled by a foot injury, and Pittsburgh will likely be without starting right tackle Flozell Adams, who has a high ankle sprain.
At this point of the season, in addition to winning games, the Steelers need to keep their players healthy.
Already this year they have lost tackles Willie Colon and Max Starks, as well as punter Daniel Sepulveda, to season-ending injuries. Defensive ends Aaron Smith and Brett Keisel each have missed a significant portion of the season, and now Heath Miller is doubtful with a concussion.
The Steelers will have to keep Roethlisberger upright in a potential wintry mix on Sunday when a possible storm that will bring a rain/snow mix comes into Pittsburgh.
Bruce Arians will need to continue to use the short passing attack that he employed in the second half last week against Baltimore.
More importantly, the Steelers will need to use both Rashard Mendenhall and Isaac Redman against the NFL’s 26th-ranked run defense.
Mendenhall ran for 99 yards and a touchdown earlier this season against Cincinnati, and Redman’s bruising running style could be an asset in poor weather conditions.
Keep Your Eyes on the Prize
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Last week’s game was a brutal, emotionally-charged game in which the Steelers defeated their archrivals in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter. For a player it doesn’t get much better than that.
Coming home to compete against a 2-10 team may seem like a cakewalk. That will not be the case.
Pittsburgh was swept by Cincinnati last season and nearly blew the game in the fourth quarter this season. If not for James Harrison knocking a pass away from Jordan Shipley, the Bengals may have defeated the Steelers.
Over the course of its nine-game losing streak, Cincinnati has lost seven games by eight points or less and also blew a 17-point halftime lead against Buffalo.
In essence, the Bengals have bungled their season away.
The Steelers, on the other hand, cannot afford a letdown at home, where they have already lost two games.
A loss would eliminate the advantage they gained last week moving to the top of the AFC North and would be a big hit to their chances of earning a first round bye, something this team could desperately use.
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Spotlight Player: Offense
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Baltimore is always tough to run against, but it is especially tough to run against when you show no interest in lowering your shoulder and gaining tough yardage.
That was Rashard Mendenhall last week.
He was very tentative, dancing around in the backfield rather than hitting the hole. Potential gains turned into two- and three-yard losses.
Mendenhall has a chance to redeem himself against one of the worst rush defenses in the league and a team that he succeeded against earlier this season.
Spotlight Player: Defense
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Whether it is a late game interception or a forced fumble, Troy Polamalu has come up with the big plays when the Steelers needed him to over the past couple of weeks.
The story could be the same against Cincinnati, where he gets to go against his former college roommate, Carson Palmer.
Polamalu had a solid game the last time these two teams played, but not to the level that he has played at recently.
With Dick LeBeau playing Polamalu in his more traditional role near the line, look for the All-Pro safety to disrupt Cincinnati’s offense.
Game Notes
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* Heinz Field has a new turf field for this weekend’s game.
* Pittsburgh can clinch a playoff spot this weekend.
* Troy Polamalu won AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
* Mike Wallace needs 132 receiving yards to reach 1,000 for the season.
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