In what has become a grudge match of the highest caliber, the Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0) and Cincinnati Bengals (1-0) will face each other for the first time this season when the two kickoff at 1 p.m. at Heinz Field. If we know anything, it’s that it’ll be a very good game between two of the league’s top offenses — and that a lot of yellow flags will fly.
The Steelers are still without running back Le’Veon Bell, who was suspended for the first three games of the season for a missed drug test, and wide receiver Martavis Bryant, who will miss the whole season after a drug-related suspension. Wide reciever Markus Wheaton, who missed last week’s game with a shoulder injury, had been listed as questionable for Sunday’s game but will not to play.
But linebacker Ryan Shazier, who left last week’s game against Washington early after tweaking a knee and was also listed as questionable, is expected to be in the lineup.
Cincinnati will also be missing a couple of key players. TE Tyler Eifert, who is still recovering from an ankle injury suffered in last year’s Pro Bowl, is unable to play, which means Bengals QB Andy Dalton will be without one of his favorite targets. And the Bengals will also be without perhaps the player Steelers fans hate most: linebacker Vontaze Burfict. Burfict was suspended for the first three games of the season for a vicious hit on Antonio Brown in the first round of the playoffs.
Here are the game’s keys:
Steelers’ offensive line
How many sacks did Pittsburgh’s o-line allow last week?
Zero. Zip. Zilch. None.
The mostly unheralded offensive line — made up of left tackle Alejandro Villanueva, left guard Ramon Foster, center Maurkice Pouncey, right guard David DeCastro and right tackle Marcus Gilbert — was absolutely phenomenal in last week’s game vs. Washington. They gave Ben Roethlisberger tons of time and created crucial lanes for DeAngelo Williams, who gashed Washington. It was a brilliant performance from the Mike Munchak-coached crew.
This week, they’ll be facing a talented Bengals defense (which still only had one sack in last week’s win over the New York Jets) that will be out for blood. Defensive linemen Geno Atkins and Carlos Dunlap can cause chaos, and they’ll certainly be trying to do so Sunday.
And even without Burfict, Cincinnati still has talent in Karlos Dansby, Rey Maulaga and Vincent Rey.
This matchup should be fun to watch.
Who’s No. 2?
The Steelers have the best wideout in the NFL in Antonio Brown. That’s essentially above questioning. He can do it all, and he does — very, very, very well.
But with Bryant missing the whole season, Pittsburgh doesn’t have a true No. 2 wide receiver. So, who will step up to fill the role? Will it be Wheaton, who, prior to the season’s start, it looked like he had the role locked up before missing games with injury? Will it be veteran Darrius Heyward Bey?
Or will it be Eli Rogers, the undrafted free agent?
In the first game of the season, Rogers had a monster first half and finished the game with six receptions (on seven targets) for 59 yards and one touchdown.
Against the Bengals, Rogers’ performance will be crucial.
Cincinnati has a very talented secondary, but much of its attention will be focused on Brown. Adam “Pacman” Jones and Dre Kirkpatrick will take on Brown depending on what side Brown lines up on. If he’s in the slot, chances are Brown will be Darqueze Dennard’s problem. But whoever is tasked with trying to shut down the NFL’s top wideout will also undoubtedly receive safety help.
Which means there’s space for Rogers.
Rogers is very talented in the slot and did a great job getting open and running after the catch. He’s got very similar measures to No. 84, and Rogers has quick feet and uses his body well. A shifty receiver who is difficult to tackle in the open field, he’ll need to have another incredible game today to lock up a Steeler win.
Coaching wins championships
Head coach Mike Tomlin is one of the most aggressive coaches in the NFL, and it’s been paying off. Big time. For too long, coaches have adopted the stale mentality of “that’s how I was taught, so that’s how I’m going to coach.” Tomlin likes to turn that mantra on its head.
Fourth-and-one? Sure, why not throw a 29-yard TD to Brown?
It’s that kind of aggressiveness on fourth downs and on two-point conversions (the Steelers led the NFL last season on two-point conversion attempts and successful conversions) that makes Tomlin one of the most exciting coaches in the NFL.
And you’ve got to figure his guys love it. Tomlin’s decisions show the confidence he has in his squad and that he’s not just making decisions based on tradition.
In a game that’s pretty evenly matched, Tomlin’s decision-making could be the difference-maker.
Will emotion get the better of either of these two teams?
It’s an understatement to say these two teams hate each other. In perhaps the AFC North’s newest and best rivalry, it gets nasty when these two face each other on the field. With the way the Baltimore Ravens played last season — and without Ray Lewis and Heinz Ward, who were the heart of the rivalry, on the field — the Steelers-Ravens rivalry has taken a bit of a backseat to the bloodbath that is Steelers-Bengals.
In the three games between Pittsburgh and Cincinnati last season, there were 47 penalties for 515 yards. And, in the two games at the end of the season, there was an estimated $229,000 handed out in fines.
Things are getting heated.
Pete Morelli, the head ref for Sunday’s game, will take control of the game early, vice president of officiating Dean Blandino told NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport.
“Game control is a significant part of that,” Blandino said. “Anything we can do to help them officiate the game. Anytime it’s a division game, we always remind them of that. These teams have a familiarity, these games tend to be more aggressive and can have that potential. We talk about these things with the referees every week, and my conversation with Pete Morelli was no different. Just making sure he’s aware, aware of the history.”
Historically, the Steelers have been able to keep their emotions in check, but in a high-tension game like this, it’ll be even more important to do so. Pittsburgh needs to play its game and not get too riled up, especially because the Bengals have a history of letting emotion getting the better of them.
Buckle up, this is going to be quite a game.
Update: This article has been updated to reflect that Markus Wheaton, who had been listed as questionable, will not play in Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Image credit: Cara Owsley/Cincinnati Enquirer
