With a win tonight and a Baltimore loss tomorrow night, the Cincinnati Bengals can secure the AFC North title. They only have the Pittsburgh Steelers standing in their way. The Steelers are 5-8 and their playoff hopes are pretty much on life support. They got off to a terrible start and tried to recover from it, but with the Ravens catching fire, it has not been enough. Cincinnati has won three straight and it has been because of the legs of BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Giovani Bernard.
The Bengals are well known for the tough defense, especially their defensive front. Despite Geno Atkins for the season, they are still one of the best pass rushing teams in the league. Something Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers depleted offensive lines. What makes them so good is that it is not just one player getting to the quarterback. Twelve players on their team have at least one sack.
The Steelers are coming off two very close losses that both involved the sideline. The first being against the Ravens when head coach Mike Tomlin stepped onto the white line while Jacoby Jones ran a punt return back. He was fined $100,000 for interference. As if that was not strange enough, the following week against the Dolphins, Antonio Brown ran down the sideline, but officials called him out of bounds and that was the end of the game. Despite the two crushing defeats, the Steelers vow to give their all tonight.
The Steelers are not the same team that won two Super Bowl titles just a few years ago. They need a lot of changes and this is not their time to win. The Bengals should win this one and secure a playoff spot. If they can get steady quarterback play out of Andy Dalton, the Bengals would be one of the best teams in the league. Bengals vs. Steelers- who you takin?
