The Bengals have opened the season 2-0, but Week 3 sends them into Pittsburgh for a matchup that could get tense in a hurry. The Steelers may not be trending the same way Cincinnati is right now, yet this is still an AFC North game, and those usually come with plenty of heat.
If the Bengals are going to leave with a win and move to 3-0, they need a few key players to answer the bell.
Orlando Brown Jr. is at the top of that list. He hasn’t looked good this year, and the assignment ahead of him is no joke.
The Steelers bring a strong edge-rushing group, and while TJ Watt usually lines up away from Brown, that doesn’t make the job easy. Brown figures to spend most of the day dealing with Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig, and Cincinnati needs him to hold up so Joe Burrow stays upright.
If the Bengals lose the battle on the edge, this one could turn ugly early.
The other big concern is what happens up the middle. The Bengals need pressure there if they want to keep Aaron Rodgers from settling in and stepping up in the pocket.
Rodgers isn’t the kind of quarterback who’s going to escape by rolling out to either side; when he extends a play, it’s through footwork and movement inside the pocket. That becomes much harder if Dexter Lawrence delivers the kind of game he’s capable of.
The Bengals need Lawrence to be disruptive on Sunday.
Then there’s Amarius Mims, who could end up seeing Watt for much of the game unless Pittsburgh changes its defensive look to create a better matchup. If that happens, Cincinnati needs Mims to stand tall against the Steelers’ best defender.
Mims has been incredible this year, and Watt has been incredible too. It’s the matchup everyone will be watching on Sunday.
In Other News...
Aaron Rodgers Just Put Bengals Pass Rush In Steelers Spotlight
Cincinnatis 2-0 start has come with the kind of defensive edge that can travel, and it was on display again in the win over Houston. Now the Bengals turn their attention to Pittsburgh, where the matchup is already tilting toward their front seven after the Steelers have stumbled through two games on offense and enter a week that looks like a stress test for their blocking.
Aaron Rodgers added to the intrigue by praising Bengals defensive standout Dexter Lawrence ahead of the matchup, a nod to just how disruptive Cincinnati can be when its pass rush is rolling. For a Steelers line already dealing with pressure, that kind of recognition only sharpens the spotlight on what awaits Sunday. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals May Already Have An Answer To Their Joe Burrow Problem
The Bengals are off to a 2-0 start, and Joe Burrow has been a major reason why the offense has looked so sharp out of the gate. Even with the quarterback doing his part, the bigger picture still points to the same old concern in Cincinnati: keeping him clean long enough for the attack to stay on schedule. The offensive line has held up well so far, which has helped ease some of that burden, but the team has also been looking for ways to make Burrows life a little less hectic on obvious passing downs.
One possible answer is already on the roster in Samaje Perine, whose value goes beyond what he does with the ball in his hands. His reputation as a reliable pass blocker makes him a useful option when the Bengals want to give Burrow extra support against pressure, especially in situations where protection matters most. If Cincinnati leans on him more in those spots, it could be a simple way to protect its quarterback without changing the shape of the offense too much. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Nearly Made A Rival AFC North Choice On Defense
When the Bengals went looking for a new defensive coordinator after firing their former one, they did not limit themselves to familiar names inside the building. Zac Taylor brought in Patrick Graham for an interview, a reminder that Cincinnati was weighing a coach with broad NFL experience and a rsum that stretches from the Patriots to the Giants and Raiders before the team ultimately chose Al Golden.
Graham now runs the Steelers defense, which only adds another layer to the AFC North backdrop around the decision. He also brings connections to players such as Maxx Crosby and Dexter Lawrence, and his current job in Pittsburgh gives the Bengals another face to track in a division where coaching moves can matter just as much as personnel ones. The interview itself did not change Cincinnatis hire, but it shows how close the team came to taking a different defensive path inside its biggest rivalry. [Read more 🡒]