Steelers vs. Bengals: 4 Halftime Adjustments for Cincinnati

Well that was some exciting football, wasn't it?

After Pittsburgh raced off to a 14-0 lead, Cincinnati answered back with 10 straight, thanks to a ridiculous red zone grab by A.J. Green. But Big Ben put together an impressive final drive to extend the Steelers' lead to 17-10.

Despite the momentum shift, Cincinnati is very much in this one. Here's four adjustments they should make for the second half.

1. More Pressure on Roethlisberger – Big Ben is the type of quarterback who thrives under pressure. But that doesn’t mean to NOT bring pressure on him. Cincinnati has to find a way to make Roethlisberger uncomfortable. They’ve been better since the first couple of drives, but they’ve got to keep it up in the second half.

2. Keep Taking Shots – Dalton is having a tough time of connecting on short passes. Pittsburgh’s corners Ike Taylor and William Gay are doing a great job in press coverage. So why not keep taking shots downfield? If Benson and Scott can manage to pick up a few first downs, Dalton will be able to go play action and take some shots down the middle of the field.

3. Establish the Run Game – Yeah, Cincy’s only averaging 3.5 yards a carry, but that’s not the important number. 15 rushes in the first half is probably not enough. Cincinnati needs to make Pittsburgh respect the run game so they can get the single coverage they want downfield.

4. Get Gresham Involved – Believe it or not, Pittsburgh’s corners have been pretty amazing this season. Ike Taylor has officially earned elite status, and William Gay is a lot better than he was last season. But guess what? Pittsburgh’s linebackers are a little slow and old. If I were Dalton I’d be looking for Gresham over the middle a lot in the second half.