You can bet the NFL will keep a close eye on this one with two teams that have a strong dislike for one another. The first meeting of the season was civil, but the main instigator from last season’s playoff dust up didn’t suit up. This time Vontaze Burfict will be in uniform and Antonio Brown better have his head on a swivel, as all Steelers should. The Bengals were eliminated from the postseason by the Steelers last season and have a chance to put them in a tight spot if they can end a three-game slide to their AFC North rival in a Week 15 battle.
Kickoff for this regular season Week 15 game is set for Sunday, December 18, 2016, at 1 p.m. ET at Paul Brown Stadium.
NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Pittsburgh Steelers -3
Cincinnati Bengals +3
Over/Under 44
Odds Analysis
With emotions that run-sky high in this series we might as well flip a coin to pick a winner. The Bengals have been pushed around like the younger step-child in this series and opened as a three-point home dog. The spread is the same as it was in the Week 2 meeting when the Steelers covered with a 24-16 home win. The Steelers are getting three-quarters of the early spread wagers because the public isn’t too keen on Cincy’s wins over Philly and Cleveland. We’ve seen some intense, hard fought battles between these two over the years with the under 8-3 in the past 11 meetings, this one sets up very similar.
Injury Report
Mike Mitchell – Pittsburgh’s starting safety has been battling a knee injury for the past few weeks and exited the last game. Mitchell is the key defender in the middle of the defense with eight breakups and one interception. If he plays, Mitchell will be hindered by the injury giving the Bengals opportunities with Tyler Eifert.
Carlos Dunlap – Was in and out of the Bengals lineup last week as he dealt with a neck injury. With Wallace Gilberry out, Cincinnati is thin at defensive end and that could pose a problem in applying pressure to Ben Roethlisberger on passing downs.
Matchup to Watch
The Steelers have been the Bengals kryptonite and no loss was as painful as last season’s wild card playoff matchup. But the second regular season meeting of 2015 between the division rivals set the stage for another postseason Bengals meltdown. In a Week 14 loss to the Steelers, Andy Dalton fractured the thumb on his throwing hand, ending his season and taking any hope of playoff success with him.
Pittsburgh has bullied Cincinnati over the past few seasons, winning three straight and six of the last seven meetings, including the first matchup this season in September. And the teams have built a strong hatred for each other. While the Bengals are all but out of the playoff race, the Steelers are in a battle for the AFC North lead. It would be satisfying for the Bengals to make Pittsburgh’s playoff a little more difficult since it was the Steelers who came into Paul Brown Stadium and ended Cincy’s year last season.
Free ATS Pick
The Bengals have a big score to settle with their division rival and wouldn’t it be sweet for them to get a victory and put a dent in Pittsburgh’s postseason plans. Things haven’t gone according to plan for Cincinnati and their streak of consecutive playoff appearances is likely to end at six. But beating their hated rival would be something in this lost campaign, and it would affect Pittsburgh’s playoff chances as well. The Bengals put their first win streak of the season together with impressive wins over the Eagles and Browns, but given the competition, the Steelers present a much stiffer challenge.
And Pittsburgh has erased that four-game losing streak by winning the last four with contributions all over the field. A defense that was torched for 35 points by the Cowboys in the last game of that earlier slide has turned a corner, and Le’Veon Bell eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark in rushing yards after missing the first three games. The Bengals need to stop the run and force Big Ben to throw the football. Even that won’t guarantee a win, but it gives Cincinnati a better shot. I think the Bengals will be a composed group and will enjoy knocking off the Steelers immensely.
NFL Odds: Bengals 26, Steelers 24
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