The Baltimore Ravens used to be the main rivals of the Pittsburgh Steelers. And while the Steelers still hate the Ravens, a case can be made that Cincinnati has become Pittsburgh’s top rival. The two AFC North teams square off Sunday with Pittsburgh an NFL lines favorite.
You could see a big game from Pittsburgh tight end Vance McDonald. Tight ends have been critical in recent Steelers-Bengals games. Jesse James caught his second career touchdown against the Bengals in 2016 and Heath Miller punished Cincinnati with 10 catches in each regular season 2015 meeting for a total of 171 yards.
The Steelers’ deep passing game used to be one of the best in the NFL. Not so far this year. Pittsburgh’s offense is hitting the deep ball at about a 12 percent clip through six games, with Roethlisberger targeting Martavis Bryant on a large percentage of his 17 attempts of 30 or more yards. On attempts of 30 or more yards downfield, Roethlisberger is 2-of-17 through six games, including 0-of-9 on targets between 31 and 40 yards. That 11.8 percent success rate is a sharp decline from 27 percent last season (10-of-37) and 39.4 percent in 2015 (13-of-33).
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh NFL Lines & Expert Prediction for Week 7
When: Sunday, 4:25 PM ET Where: Heinz Field TV: CBS Radio: 1530 AM (Cincinnati) / WDVE-FM 102.5 (Pittsburgh) Stream Option: NFL Live Opening NFL Lines: Steelers -5.5 (41.5)10/22 – #CINvsPIT – 4:25 pm ET – CBS#Bengals50 pic.twitter.com/TQfjotq0Xq
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) October 19, 2017
Weather Forecast
- Partly Cloudy: 24°C/75°F
- Humidity: 47%
- Precipitation: 0%
- Wind: 6 mph S
- Cloud Cover: 56%
- Type of Stadium: Open
Last Season
The Steelers swept last year. In Week 2 in Pittsburgh, it was 24-16. Ben Roethlisberger was picked off twice but threw for 259 yards and three scores. DeAngelo Williams had 94 yards on a career-high 32 carries and added a 4-yard touchdown grab with 6:48 remaining. He got a heavy load with Le’Veon Bell out. Andy Dalton passed for 366 yards and a touchdown in the loss. A.J. Green finished with just two receptions for 38 yards. In Week 15 in Cincinnati, the Steelers won 24-20 despite trailing 20-9 at the half. Chris Boswell tied the club record with six field goals, and Roethlisberger threw a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. It was Pittsburgh’s fourth win in a row in Cincinnati.NY Jets at Miami NFL Lines & Betting Preview for Week 7
Betting Trends
- Bengals are 5-2 ATS in the last 7 games
- Bengals are 2-7 SU in the last 9 games on the road
- The total went UNDER in 8 of Cincinnati’s last 9 games
- Steelers are 6-1-1 ATS in the last 8 games when playing Cincinnati
- Steelers are 13-3 SU in the last 16 games
- The total went UNDER in 5 of Pittsburgh’s last 5 games
Why Bet On Cincinnati?
The Cincinnati Bengals have won two consecutive games and enter Week 7 coming off a bye. In Week 5, Cincinnati defeated Buffalo 20-16 as Dalton passed for 328 yards and Green had 189 receiving yards. Dalton connected on a 77-yard touchdown pass to Green, the fifth 75+ yard TD pass from Dalton to Green in their careers. Since entering the NFL in 2011, Green has five games with at least 180 receiving yards. Only Pittsburgh’s Antonio Brown (six) has more such performances during that span. This season, Green is averaging 100.8 receiving yards per game, second in the NFL behind Brown (116.7). During the bye, the Bengals placed former Pro Bowl TE Tyler Eifert on injured reserve with a back injury. Eifert has opted for season-ending surgery, which comes with a 4-6 month recovery. Back surgery is nothing new for Eifert, who underwent his first back surgery last December. Tyler Kroft will be the Bengals’ starter the rest of the way. Beat the Steelers, and the Bengals are back to .500 with a shot at the AFC North title. Lose, and they would fall further behind in the divisional race and maintain a streak of losing records that dates to Week 1 of the 2016 season. Around this time last season, the Bengals were 2-3 with an opportunity to get to .500 against the Cowboys. Instead, they lost 28-14 and never quite recovered.Team Statistics
Offense:- Average Score For: 16.80
- Total Yards: 311
- Pass Yards: 227
- Rush Yards: 84
- Average Score Against: 16.60
- Total Yards: 262.80
- Pass Yards: 159.60
- Rush Yards: 103.20
Why Bet On Pittsburgh?
The Steelers lead the AFC North with a 4-2 record. Last week, Pittsburgh knocked off the previously unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs 19-13 at Arrowhead Stadium. Bell rushed for 179 yards with a touchdown and Brown had eight catches for 155 yards with a touchdown. It marked the third time in franchise history in which the Steelers had a 150+ yard rusher and a 150+ yard receiver in the same game. Brown leads the NFL this season in receptions (48) and receiving yards (700) while Bell ranks third in rushing yards (550). With two receptions and 100 receiving yards on Sunday against Cincinnati, he would join Wes Welker (2011) as the only players in NFL history to record at least 50 receptions and 800 receiving yards through their team’s first seven games of a season.
You could see a big game from Pittsburgh tight end Vance McDonald. Tight ends have been critical in recent Steelers-Bengals games. Jesse James caught his second career touchdown against the Bengals in 2016 and Heath Miller punished Cincinnati with 10 catches in each regular season 2015 meeting for a total of 171 yards.
The Steelers’ deep passing game used to be one of the best in the NFL. Not so far this year. Pittsburgh’s offense is hitting the deep ball at about a 12 percent clip through six games, with Roethlisberger targeting Martavis Bryant on a large percentage of his 17 attempts of 30 or more yards. On attempts of 30 or more yards downfield, Roethlisberger is 2-of-17 through six games, including 0-of-9 on targets between 31 and 40 yards. That 11.8 percent success rate is a sharp decline from 27 percent last season (10-of-37) and 39.4 percent in 2015 (13-of-33).
Team Statistics
Offense:- Average Score For: 19.67
- Total Yards: 349.66
- Pass Yards: 242.33
- Rush Yards: 107.33
- Average Score Against: 17
- Total Yards: 271.67
- Pass Yards: 153.50
- Rush Yards: 118.17
Series History
- Total Meetings: 95
- First Meeting: November 2nd, 1970. Three Rivers Stadium. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Last Meeting: December 18th 2016. Paul Brown Stadium. Cincinnati, Ohio
- All-Time Series: Pittsburgh 60-35
- Largest Margin of Victory: Cincinnati 42-7 (1988)
- Longest Win Streak: Pittsburgh 8 (1991-1994)
- Current Win Streak: Pittsburgh 4 (2015-2016)
