Behind the Steel Curtain
The Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals kick off Week 7 on Thursday Night Football, which has been the Steelers’ kryptonite. Will they be able to end that narrative? Our staff discusses in this week’s game picks.
Mike Nicastro: As Halloween approaches, it appears Mike Tomlin has found his boogeyman in the form of Joe Flacco. He surprisingly ripped Browns GM Andrew Berry this week for trading the veteran quarterback to a division rival, presumably due to Flacco’s success against him last season, and the familiarity from his time in Baltimore.
The biggest key to this game will be how the Steelers’ backend plays against JaMarr Chase and Tee Higgins, who have frequently burned them in the past. The Bengals’ defense stinks, but so does Tomlin in Thursday night road games. He’s 2-9 in his last eleven contests.
You just never know what type of game you’ll get on a Thursday. I’d anticipate the Steelers offense plays well again, and that ultimately leads them to a 24-17 victory – but it won’t come easy.
Joey Bray: As impressive as the Steelers have been over the last few weeks, I question whether or not they will be able to overcome their recent woes on Thursday Night Football. The Steelers are 0-8 in Thursday Night Football divisional games since 1970. Under Mike Tomlin, they are just 9-11 on Thursday night.
The Steelers undoubtedly have looked like the much better team this season, but Joe Flacco has more experience against Pittsburgh than any other quarterback in the league. Flacco gave Pittsburgh fits just last year, as he tossed two touchdown passes in a win over the Steelers as a member of the Indianapolis Colts.
Divisional games on the road are difficult to predict in general, but when you take into account the Steelers’ recent history on TNF it could be seen as a spot for Pittsburgh to potentially trip up. The Steelers are probably due to lose one of these games anyway, right? Bengals 24, Steelers 21.
Ryland Bickley: This is a game I could see the Steelers dropping just due to the circumstances of an away divisional game on a short week. The best team on paper doesn’t always win. That said, scouting the Bengals reveals a team the Steelers match up very well against. The Cincinnati defense has been burned by worst Pittsburgh offenses in the past, and still struggles against the quick passing game and heavy personnel in the run game.
The Bengal offense is led by a quarterback who’s bested Pittsburgh before in Joe Flacco, but it’s extremely one-dimensional: great pass-catchers but the NFL’s worst run game. Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins will be headaches, but the Steelers should be able to get the job done.
It’s Thursday Night Football. It’ll probably be sloppier than it should be, and keep in mind this bad Bengals team still put up a fight against a great Packers roster on Sunday. But the Steelers are trending in the right direction. I have Pittsburgh...
