The Steelers are in the lead of their division after a third consecutive win this past Sunday, out of the Bye Week. The Steelers have a chance to increase their lead by beating the Cincinnati Bengals in the field on Thursday. Last week, the Steelers beat the Cleveland Browns by 14 points to earn their first divisional victory of the year.
Aaron Rodgers’ performances have been consistently good and he has played a lot of football efficiently for the majority of his team’s five first games. This has helped the offense score 21-24 points each of the last three games. The Steelers still need to improve their running game. This could happen this week against the Bengals.
Joe Flacco will be the Steelers’ next opponent after facing Dillon Gabriel, a rookie quarterback. The Steelers pass rush will have many chances to score against a quarterback who is less mobile, like Flacco. However, the Bengals offense remains a threat due to their elite receivers.
T.J. Watt is starting to look more like himself in recent weeks. He has 3.5 sacks, and three pass breaks during the Steelers three-game winning streak. D.K. has also been a positive development. Metcalf, the No. Since Week 5, the No. 1 wideout has combined 221 yards with nine receptions and two touchdowns.
The Bengals are on the other side, having lost four consecutive games. This past week’s quarterback switch from Jake Browning, to Flacco, had only a small impact on the team. They scored 18 points against the Green Bay Packers in a 9-point loss. The team scored all 18 points in the second-half while trailing.
The Bengals were able to keep the game closer than most expected, and they were only a score behind the Packers during a large portion of the second-half. The Bengals hope to find more explosive and consistent plays now that Flacco has had more time to integrate into the offense and get used to his receivers.
The Bengals still need some rushing to relieve the pressure on the quarterback and receivers. Chase Brown and no other rusher have surpassed 47 yards in any game this season. The Bengals must improve their run blocking, starting this week when they face the Steelers.
Ja’Marr chase’s ability remain productive despite two consecutive losses is a silver lining. Chase caught 10 passes for 94 yard and a touchdown, compared to 110 yards and 2 scores against the Detroit Lions the week before. Chase must be heroic to give Flacco a chance of winning the Steelers game and to help the Bengals.
The Browns are on a losing streak, too. They lost their third straight game in Pittsburgh last weekend. The Browns scored nine points, a season low. They have failed to score more than 17 points for 11 consecutive games going back to last year.
Garbiel, who made his second career start in the NFL, threw 52 balls and only completed 29 for 221 yard. This formula is not the recipe for success. The Browns had to pass a lot because they were so stifled at the ground. They ran for 65 yard on 17 carries as a team. Quinshon Judkins only received 12 rushing attempts, after surpassing the 20-carry threshold the week before.
The Miami Dolphins are also a struggling 1-5 squad, so they’ll be looking to improve the balance between run and pass this week. The Browns, who are playing at home, have the defensive makeup and ability to cause problems for the Dolphins offense. This is especially true if they force TuaTagovailoa’s (seven interceptions), into making mistakes. Miami has plenty of playmakers, even without Tyreek, so this won’t be a simple test.
The Browns should be able to break through the 17-point barrier if they can play offensive football without making mistakes again and run the ball better. The Dolphins allowed more than 21 points in five consecutive games, and 27, 29, and 28 points respectively over the last two weeks.
After losing their fourth consecutive game and dropping to 1-5, the Ravens have a bye-week. The Ravens will be solely in control of fourth place if the Browns beat the Ravens on Sunday.