NFL Week 13 Prediction: What the Bengals Must Do To Beat the Pittsburgh Steelers

On Sunday, the Cincinnati Bengals will play in one of the most important games of their 2011 season against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

While the odds are clearly against the Bengals, with the game being in Pittsburgh and having already lost the first pivotal AFC North matchup, there is still a strong possibility that the Bengals can find a way to win. 

If the Bengals want to make a run at the playoffs this year, they must begin with a win in Pittsburgh against the rival Steelers this Sunday.  

Beating the Steelers will not be an easy task, but I believe the young and hungry Bengals are up for the challenge.

All the Bengals have to do to win are these five things. Read on. 

Test the Steelers Secondary Early and Often

A Bengals victory against the Steelers will only come by air mail this Sunday, sent by A.J. Green.  

In their last matchup, the Bengals were able to stay in the game thanks to the play of the Steelers' secondary.  

I'm sure every Bengals fan remembers A.J. Green's leaping catch in the end zone over two Steeler cornerbacks and safety Troy Polamalu. Green did hurt his knee, but I'm almost certain something like that won't happen again. 

If I were Andy Dalton, I would try a few jump balls to A.J. Green very early on in the game, because I don't think the shorter Steelers secondary can cover him. 

If the Bengals are able to get two or three downfield bombs to Green within the first quarter, the entirety of their offense would be able to open up. The run game would excel because the Steeler's secondary won't be able to stack the box, and the passing game would benefit because the Steelers will have to double-team Green.

If the Bengals want to beat the Steelers, three of their first eight plays must involve jump balls being thrown to A.J. Green.   

Bengals Must Control the Pace of the Game with Time of Possession

One of the Bengals' problems three weeks ago against the Steelers was that they simply ran out of time at the end of the game. 

The Steelers' time of possession was 33:53 as compared to the Bengals' time of possession, which was only 26:07. That seven-minute difference in time of possession was the difference maker in the matchup three weeks ago, and I think it will be the same this Sunday as well. 

At the end of the game, whoever holds the higher time of possession will be the winner, and this week I think it will be the Bengals. 

If the Bengals are able to solidify their passing game early on, their running game will open up, resulting in the ability to control the pace of the game. If the Bengals can control the time of possession against the Steelers, they will keep the ball out of the hands of Ben Roethlisberger, limiting his opportunities to establish his offense. 

If the Bengals can keep the ball out of Big Ben's hands, they will put pressure on him to make big plays faster than he will want to, resulting in turnovers and ultimately leading to a Bengals crucial AFC North victory. 

Secondary Must Play Physical at the Line of Scrimmage with Steelers Receivers

Stopping the run wasn't the Bengals' main problem three weeks ago against the Steelers. Their main issue was allowing Steeler receivers Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown to light them up through the air.

The Bengals held the Steelers to only 105 total yards rushing, but allowed the Pittsburgh receivers to get free in the secondary—amassing 245 yards—by not playing physical with them at the line of scrimmage.

Letting Wallace and Brown run free at the line of scrimmage and expecting to stop them is about as realistic of a thought as the Colts making the playoffs.  

The Bengals have to assert their dominance on defense by strong-arming the Steelers receivers and not allowing them to get comfortable in their routes and cuts.

Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown aren't the most physical receivers in the league, but they are two of the fastest, and playing zone coverage is a great way to put their speed on display.

The Bengals will not win if they don't slow down the receiving core of the Pittsburgh Steelers, so expect the Bengals to turn up the physicality early on. 

Put Pressure on Big Ben with the Front Four, Geathers, Peko, Johnson and Atkins

The Chiefs stayed in the game against the Steelers last week by playing stingy defense and, most importantly, consistently pressuring Ben Roethlisberger. 

If the Bengals want to win, they must do exactly the same. Cincinnati's front four hasn't done exceptionally well pressuring the quarterback this year, totaling only 12.5 sacks between them in their first 11 games.

The Bengals were able to sack Ben Roethlisberger five times in their last matchup. In addition to their five sacks, the Bengals' defense hit Big Ben a total of 13 times—something they have to do if they plan on winning on Sunday. 

Mixing the pressure the Bengal defensive line can get on Ben with the physicality of the secondary I'm calling for, the Bengals could be in a for a big-time win.  

Proving once and for all that the Bengals have the most dominant defense in the AFC North.   

Protect Quarterback Andy Dalton at All Times

Above all, the Bengals must protect Andy Dalton if they expect to win on Sunday.

In Cincinnati's last matchup with the Steelers, the Bengals gave up a whopping zero sacks to the Steelers' often-dominant defense. The Bengal offensive line must mirror that performance if they hope to have a chance at beating the Steelers. 

When Andy Dalton is protected in the pocket, he looks like a veteran quarterback, picking apart defenses and throwing lasers to his athletic receivers. When Dalton is under pressure, though, he looks like a rookie who is trying to make things happen but can't—often resulting in costly turnovers. 

Dalton threw two interceptions in his last outing against the Steelers, which ultimately was the difference maker in the matchup. Dalton cannot afford to turn the ball over even once to the Steelers this time around, and the way to ensure he doesn't do that is by protecting him at all times.

The Bengals' top priority needs to be keeping Dalton on his feet, whether it is by putting a full back in or an extra blocking tight end.

If the Bengals can protect Dalton consistently, he will be able to pick apart the Steeler secondary, ultimately resulting in a huge Bengals AFC North win.