By Sean Geddes
Tonight we square off with last year’s division champions, the Cincinnati Bengals. What a difference a year can make, as the Bengals team that swept the division last season look like a shell of their former selves, currently sitting at 2-5 on the young season. With a weaker ground game than they boasted last year and an inconsistent passing game, this Bengals team might not seem as intimidating as many analysts thought they might this year, but they’ll be a tough matchup for the Steelers, as they always are.
Who to Keep a Closer Eye On:
Troy Polamalu
The college roommate of Bengals signal caller Carson Palmer, Troy has had success against him in the past, including a great interception and return TD on which he bowled over Palmer en route to the end zone a few years back. Troy, by his own admission hasn’t played up to the level he expects of himself recently, and this just might be the match up he needs to get back to the other worldly level of play that he and fans have come to expect from the great safety.
What is the Key to Victory:
The Offenses Ability to Maintain a Balanced Attack
While the Bengals employ two of the better cover corners in the game in Jonathan Joseph and Leon Hall, their pass defense hasn’t been as good as advertised. Currently ranking 18th overall in yards allowed, they have shown weakness that can be taken advantage of. What would really allow us to set the tone in the passing department would be Rashard Mendenhall and the ground game attacking the 22nd ranked rush defense. One sets up the other, and if we can do both effectively, we should win this game.
Where the Best Battles Are:
Our OLB’s Versus Their Game Plan
I’m going to be watching LaMarr Woodley and James Harrison going after RT Andre Smith, LT Andrew Whitworth, and how each of our guys handles TE Jermaine Gresham. Whitworth is the kind of tackle Harrison can really get after. At 6’7” the 6’0” Harrison can get lower and use his strength and leverage to get by the larger Whitworth. Woodley versus Smith is a matchup of two players whose strengths play into each other’s well. Smith is a strength tackle, and Woodley is a bull rusher. I expect a good one there. The wildcard is TE Jermaine Gresham. This will be the Steelers first crack at Gresham, the highly athletic and physically talented rookie TE out of Oklahoma. At 6’5” 260 lbs., Jermaine has the size to try and assist on our OLB’s while having the speed to stretch the field and create a mismatch in the passing game. We’ll be seeing him a lot, and he is still a work in progress for Cincy, but he can test us in a way no other TE in our division can.
When We Need To Be More Successful:
Third Downs
(And late in the game, but I’m not going to beat that poor horse any more right now)
The Steelers were successful on 3 of their 10 third downs last week, and have converted 34% of those opportunities on the year. The Bengals have allowed a conversion on 41% of their attempts to end drives this year. With more success on third downs, perhaps the defense can get a little more rest and be fresher for those drives later in the game (okay, one spur to the side).
Why We Will Win The Game:
Making an Inconsistent Offense One Dimensional, and Limiting Mistakes
The Bengals are 9-1 when Cedric Benson rushes for 100 yards. The Steelers defense hasn’t allowed a RB to reach 100 yards yet this year, and no one has come that close really. The most yards we’ve allowed to one player is the 48 we gave up to Ricky Williams two weeks ago. The Bengals have thrown at a higher rate this year to boot.
Making them one dimensional and forcing Palmer’s hand can be a dual edged sword, as they have solid receivers of which to throw to. TO, Chad Ochocinco (Who I will always refer to as Johnson, and am only placating his attention getting activity for records sake in this situation) and Jordan Shipley have developed into a decent crew, as Shipley’s workload continues to increase and TO is on pace for 1400 yards this year. Chad Johnson has been the man who has been somewhat left out of this. Maybe working with your QB instead of working on your TV shows might make you a better player. Just a thought Chad.
At the same time we cannot continue to make the little mistakes that have cost us in the long term in games this year. Ben Roethlisberger will have to make smart throws, and not allow their defense to cause turnovers that give them more opportunities to score points. Knowing when to tuck it and take the sack, or when to throw it away to avoid the loss. These are two things that Ben has shown the ability to do this year, but are not things Ben does historically. I don’t want to change the way Ben plays, because it’s those extended plays that pay off from time to time, but knowing when the smart play is to lose a few, or lose a down can make the difference on drives. Knowing where you are on the field in relation to this choice is the one area I would like to see Ben improve on as this year goes on.
The Bengals have not had much success getting after the quarterback this year, and giving Ben more time in the pocket should allow him to get through his reads and make good decisions with the ball.
Go back to Steelers Fan Spot
Football Fan Spot 