Cincinnati with their backs against the wall

In the AFC North, it comes to a meaningful duel on Sunday. The Pittsburgh Steelers host the Cincinnati Bengals and for both teams a win would be hugely important

The hosts could turn things around and start a recovery with a win. But the visitors are favourites in this duel due to their current form. If we take a look at the betting odds before the clash between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals, this also becomes clear.

The home team doesn’t have to hide, as the Steelers won in overtime against the Bengals on the first day of play this season. Ten weeks into this season, however, the tide should have turned. In three of the last four games, Cincinnati scored 30 or more points and is thus in top form, especially on offence. We therefore recommend betting on the visitors between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals

After what was supposed to be the best game of his career, a bet on Joe Mixon seems inevitable. The running back scored five touchdowns against Carolina and even had success as a pass receiver. In total, he racked up an outstanding 211 yards in the game. With the loss of wide receiver Chase, he is especially challenged and is the number one playmaking option in the offense. Therefore, between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals, the odds on Joe Mixon scoring a touchdown have a lot of value.

Pittsburgh Steelers – Statistics & current form

The Steelers picked up their third win of the season last week. This puts Pittsburgh in 13th place in the American Football Conference. The play-offs are not completely off the table thanks to the win and the remaining programme also gives their own fans hope. The likelihood is nevertheless slim, as the teams probably need eight or more wins to reach the play-offs. The hosts would therefore have to win five of their last eight games and that will certainly not be easy.

Question marks on offense

Mike Tomlin’s team boasts the second weakest offense in the NFL. The Steelers are averaging just 15.6 points per game. Pittsburgh could only score 13 touchdowns in nine games and just under 44% of the points were scored by the kickers. Neither in the running game nor in the passing game do the Steelers seem to be particularly strong. Moreover, the host is the only team in the NFL that has not scored more than 20 points once in the regular season.

The only player who still manages to deliver is Najee Harris. The running back has 460 rushing yards, which ranks him 25th in the NFL. With quarterback Kenny Pickett scoring three touchdowns in six games through the running game, the passing game seems to be the bigger problem right now. One look at the top-50 receivers is enough, as only Johnson is present in this selection. However, he has zero touchdowns on his account and that is indicative of the Pittsburgh offense.

Problems against the passing game

Overall, the Steelers’ defence is very solid, allowing an average of just 23.0 points. This is mainly due to the good defence against the running game. In the NFL, only five teams allow fewer rushing yards. Against the passing game, however, it looks different, because there the home team has big problems. On average, only the Titans and Falcons allow more receiving yards. Therefore, the odds between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals point to a win for the pass-happy visitors.

Key players of the Pittsburgh Steelers:
QB: Kenny Pickett – RB: Najee Harris – ML: Myles Jack – FS: Minka Fitzpatrick – K: Chris Boswell

Cincinnati Bengals – Statistics & current form

The Bengals are in ninth place in the American Football Conference and would not currently be eligible for the NFL playoffs. Missing the knockout round would be more than disappointing after reaching the Super Bowl in the preseason. The remaining schedule is a tough one, so a win against the Steelers is almost a must. They head to Tennessee in week twelve before hosting the reigning champions from Kansas. So now Cincinnati must hold their nerve and deliver.

Joe Burrow and his receivers

Cincinnati is once again one of the best offenses in the NFL this season. At 25.3 points per game, only five teams score more. This is mainly due to the excellent passing game of Zac Taylor’s team. Quarterback Joe Burrow and his wide receivers harmonise excellently. It is therefore no wonder that three wide receivers are among the top 25 pass receivers. Ja’Marr Chase is their best receiver, but Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd are also incredibly dangerous.

The running game is giving the Bengals 98.9 yards per game. Compared to the rest of the teams, this value is simply too weak. Nevertheless, Cincinnati has a really strong running back in Joe Mixon, who is one of the best players at his position with eight touchdowns. Especially in the last game he really turned up the heat and scored five touchdowns against the Carolina Panthers. Chase’s absence was barely noticeable as a result, and that’s what sets the Bengals’ offense apart.

Very solid defensive effort

Averaging just 20.6 points allowed, the Bengals are one of the better defenses in the NFL. Especially against the offensively weak Steelers, the defence should be able to undercut this average. The Bengals thus seem to be better than their upcoming opponents both offensively and defensively. It is therefore inevitable to make a prediction on the guest between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals.

Key players of the Cincinnati Bengals:
QB: Joe Burrow – RB: Joe Mixon – WR: Tyler Boyd – WR: Tee Higgings – K: Evan McPherson

Pittsburgh Steelers – Cincinnati Bengals Head-to-head comparison / H2H record

The direct comparison in this duel goes surprisingly clearly to the host. The Steelers could win 68 games against the Bengals. Cincinnati has only 38 wins on their side, but still remains the favourite. At the beginning of this season, Pittsburgh won again against the favourite after three defeats in a row. However, there is very little to suggest that they will win again, as the visitors seem to be superior in all categories. In addition, several defensive players of the home team are injured and still questionable.

Pittsburgh Steelers – Cincinnati Bengals Tip

Everything points to a successful revenge for the Cincinnati Bengals. The guests are in much better shape, have a better squad and are much broader. Zac Taylor’s team has three outstanding offensive players in its ranks and the defence usually works very well too. The Steelers, however, are a different story, as Mike Tomlin’s team is not particularly strong on either the offensive or defensive side of the ball.

We therefore play the tip between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals on over 21.5 team points for the visitors. Whenever the Bengals could win, the team scored at least 27 points. Therefore, a handicap bet would also be interesting, because the weak Steelers offence never scored more than 20 points and therefore a clear win is indicated.