In their final game of the regular season, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals do battle at Heinz Field in an AFC North Week 17 finale. This game will feature the NFL’s top passer, Ben Roethlisberger (4,635 yards, 30 TDs), and second-leading rusher, LeVeon Bell (1,341 yards, 8 TDs). Pittsburgh and Cincinnati will both be looking to keep up their winning momentum. Each team has risen to another level as of late, with both teams having won four of their last five. The game starts at 8:30 p.m. ET on Sunday and will air on NBC.
The last time the Steelers and Bengals faced each other was in Week 14, a 42-21 loss for Cincinnati. Bell had a big performance running the ball in that game, gaining 185 yards and two TDs on 26 carries. He was also a threat in the passing game 50 yards and a TD on six receptions. Roethlisberger had a great game as well, adding 350 yards and three TDs through the air. Green had a great performance for Cincinnati, recording 11 catches for 224 yards and one TD. Dalton had a big day as well, contributing 302 yards and two TDs through the air.
This week’s matchup between the Steelers and the Bengals have even odds and the Over/Under (O/U) is zero points. The Steelers enter the game with records of 10-5 Straight Up (SU) and 8-7 Against The Spread (ATS) this season. In the past five games, Pittsburgh is 4-1 SU and 3-2 ATS. Judging from past home games this season, expect to see a heavy dose of the Pittsburgh passing game, which currently averages an NFL-best 344.6 passing yards per home game. The Pittsburgh run defense has played at another level the past five games. It has given up only 82.8 rush yards per game during that span. Pittsburgh usually finishes games strong, averaging a league-best 9.7 points in the fourth quarter. Based on an average time of possession of 33:53 per game that tops the league, look for Pittsburgh to control the pigskin.
Across the field, the Bengals head into Week 17 with records of 7-6-1 ATS and 9-4-1 SU. In the previous five games, Cincinnati has a record of 3-1 SU and 2-2 ATS. Other teams have a high success rate running the ball against the Bengals. It may be in Pittsburgh’s game plan to take advantage of the home team’s inability to stop the run in their own stadium, 27th in the league at 4.6 yards per carry. The Bengals defense has trended upward in the past five games. They lowered their points allowed per game to 20.6 by giving up an average of 13 points during that five-game span. Stopping the run doesn’t have to be Cincinnati’s first priority since the Steelers aren’t putting up scary numbers in the backfield during home games this year. Pittsburgh ranks 27th in the league with a rushing average of 90.1 yards per game. The Bengals will look to put the ball in the end zone against a Pittsburgh defense that allows an average of seven points in the third quarter of home games, one of the worst marks in the league. Cincinnati has put in some strong special teams performances this season. The team has averaged 104.7 return yards per game, ranking them fourth in the NFL.
Predictions: SU Winner – CIN, ATS Winner – CIN, O/U – Under
Notes
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Pittsburgh’s last 9 games.
Pittsburgh is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Pittsburgh’s last 7 games at home.
Pittsburgh is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh’s last 6 games when playing Cincinnati.
Pittsburgh is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing Cincinnati.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh’s last 5 games when playing at home against Cincinnati.
Pittsburgh is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Cincinnati.
Cincinnati is 8-1-1 SU when leading at the half this season. Pittsburgh is 8-1 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
This season, Cincinnati is 5-1 SU in games where it wins the turnover battle, and only 2-3-1 SU in games where it loses the turnover battle.
Since the beginning of last season, Pittsburgh is 7-4 SU against AFC North opponents, while Cincinnati is 6-5 SU against divisional foes.
The Pittsburgh rushing attack is ranked 13th in the league, compared to the 25th-ranked run defense of Cincinnati.
