Week 10 NFL Picks: The Cincinnati Bengals Will Earn Their Stripes vs. Steelers

The world is finally paying attention to the magic going on in Cincinnati.

The Cincinnati Bengals are off to a 6-2 start, despite having a rookie QB and rookie offensive coordinator. The Andy Dalton-Jay Gruden relationship is incredibly strong after only eight games—and the two are a perfect match.

Gruden had planned to install the West Coast Offense regardless of who his QB was going to be, but after seeing Dalton, he knew he had found his man. Dalton is intelligent, makes swift decisions, is accurate and can read defenses extremely well, even for rookie.

The talk this week has centered on whether Dalton can handle the exotic blitzing schemes of a Dick LeBeau-led defense. The Pittsburgh Steelers are extremely tough on rookie QBs because they force awful decisions with a plethora of pressure.

That’s the beauty of Dalton. He may make a few mistakes in the first half, he may even turn the ball over once or twice, but he doesn’t repeat mistakes. The Steelers may rattle Dalton, but they won’t break him.

An important factor to note is the sheer exhaustion the Steelers are currently dealing with. The O-Line has been a revolving door, and the team is in the last group of byes next week.

With linebacker LaMarr Woodley already ruled out and Troy Polamalu questionable with sore ribs, it’s not like the Steelers are going into this game very well rested, especially after playing against the Ravens last week.

Dalton has already engineered three fourth-quarter comebacks, and leads all rookies with a 61.5 completion percentage. He has led the Bengals to their first five-game win streak since back in 1998—the last time they went to the Super Bowl.

He may not be getting the hype of Cam Newton, but I believe that this is the NFL’s rookie of the year.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are about to agree with me.

Behind the steady play of Dalton and the No. 2-ranked Cincinnati offense, the Bengals will make a major statement on Sunday.

Predictions: Bengals 24, Steelers 23