Steelers vs. Bengals: Five Questions with the Enemy

Each week as the Pittsburgh Steelers prepare for their matchup we will go behind enemy lines to get the scoop on the team they’re facing with a member of the FanSided Network. Today we have Matthew Wilson, Co-Editor of Stripe Hype, giving us the good on the Cincinnati Bengals. He discusses the AFC North Divisional race and the toughness of the remainder of the Bengals’ schedule, the confidence levels in Andy Dalton and Marvin Lewis, the running backs and gives his prediction with score for the game.

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With the division race so close the Bengals are holding onto a 1.5 game lead over everyone else but with the toughest 4-game stretch out of everyone. What’s the confidence level of Bengals fans that the team can hold onto the division lead and win the AFC North again?

The question is can they win at least 2 out of 4 of these games, which means a split with the Steelers and taking game 2 against the Cleveland Browns. If they can do that, they have a good chance at least a tie in the division if not winning the division. The Baltimore Ravens and Steelers look like the biggest contenders to overtake the Bengals but it will come down to 4 games and I am excited as I hope all of Bengals and Steelers nation is for a fight to the finish.

What’s the confidence level with Andy Dalton given how inconsistent he’s been this season?

Andy Dalton has been inconsistent over the past 3 years and into year 4. The one thing that makes Andy Dalton great is that when given time, he is one of the most accurate QB’s in the league. We saw this against Houston and New Orleans when he made passes to Sanu, Gresham, and Green all with solid coverage. He took a step back but this week but the defense and great coaching lifted them to a win over Tampa Bay. He will need to be solid and the Steelers missing Brett Keisel will be a huge blow to their passing defense.

A lot of NFL fans wonder just how Marvin Lewis has remained head coach of Cincinnati given his consistent playoff failures, is he on the hot seat if the Bengals don’t win a playoff game this year again?

He is safe as long as they keep winning games, eventually they will grow tired if he cant get the Bengals to the next level. The Cincinnati Bengals organization seem to have taken a page though from Art Rooney’s book and keeping a consistency factor in the Bengals locker room. Bengals fans will celebrate the move if they can get past the Wildcard round of the playoffs.

The Bengals are very good at rushing the ball but also rank pretty low at giving up the run. Does this game turn out to be a ground battle in spite of the high-profile quarterbacks playing?

Le’Veon Bell is a huge part of the Steelers game plan but the rank still is based on the first half of the season. The past 3 weeks, they have only allowed a total of an average of 71.3 yards per game. Which is a bad game for the Steelers run game since Bell is averaging 100 yards per game on the ground in their 7 wins and 67 yards in their losses. Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard have two different running styles which means this defense must be ready for both, which is hard enough with one. If either one gets hot, it could be a long day for Dick LeBeau and this Steelers defense. The ground game will be the key to both teams successes.

What is your prediction with score for the game?

I don’t see a repeat of last seasons game in Pittsburgh. This game could be close but if the Bengals could get the edge with it being at home and Bengals fans craving a big win at home. Bengals win 21-17

There you have it, Steeler Nation. Everything you need to know about the Bengals heading into Sunday’s game. What questions would you have asked?

Be sure to check out my answers to his questions at Stripe Hype.

Here we go Steelers! Here we go!

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