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Bengals vs. Steelers: Channel, time, game pick, key matchups for 'Monday Night Football' – CBS Sports, Cbssports.com

Bengals vs. Steelers: Channel, time, game pick, key matchups for 'Monday Night Football' – CBS Sports, Cbssports.com


The AFC North is a bit of a jumble so far this season. TheBrownshave looked terrible, but are somehow in first place. TheRavensshot out of the gates on fire, but have lost back-to-back games to drop to 2-2 and sit in second in the division. 

TheSteelersandBengals, meanwhile, have matching 0-3 records. Neither team looks like a threat to do much of anything. Pittsburgh underwent a ton of offseason changes for the first time in a while and then lost its starting quarterback to injury. Cincinnati made changes for the first time in an even longer while, and is struggling to gain a foothold under a new coach. 

It’s in this environment that the Steelers and Bengals square off in the Week 4 edition of Monday Night Football. Let’s quickly break things down. 

John Breech and Ryan Wilson broke down Monday’s matchup on the latest episode of the Pick Six Podcast. Listen to the full show below and be sure to subscribe right here to get daily NFL goodness fired into your eardrums.

Bengals at Steelers

  • Date: Monday, Sept. 30
  • Time: 8: 15 p.m. ET
  • TV channel: ESPN
  • Odds: Steelers -3.5, O/U 45 (via SportsLine)

Get more NFL picks, betting analysis and access to proven computer simulations and fantasy tools by joining SportsLine. Former Vegas bookmakers give perspective from the other side of the counter, while red-hot experts with decades of experience handicapping games give their top plays. Join SportsLine here to see this week’s winners. 

When the Steelers have the ball

Last week wasMason Rudolph’sfirst career start. It did not go well at all. Rudolph finished the game against the49ershaving completed 14 of 27 passes for 174 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception; but even those paltry figures are quit a bit misleading. The 76-yard touchdown pass Rudolph threw toJuJu Smith-Schustertraveled just 11 yards in the air. Smith-Schuster did the rest, scooting past defenders on his way to the end zone. 

Just three of Rudolph’s 27 passes traveled more than 20 yards in the air, per Pro Football Focus, and he completed just one of those throws. His lack of willingness to stretch the field allowed the 49ers to gear up against shorter passes, which both constricted throwing lanes and limited big plays. The Steelers created just five first downs via the pass all game, which naturally meant they did not move the ball all that well overall. 

The Steelers demonstrated a clear preference to base their offense around the exploits ofJames Conner, and it would not be surprising if that remained their preference so long as Rudolph is under center. But opponents will obviously and justifiably fear Conner more than they do Rudolph if he does not begin taking more chances. They’ll force him to march the ball down the field one short pass at a time — something that is exceedingly difficult for even the best and most experienced quarterbacks, let alone a second-year player making among the first starts of his career. 

On Monday night, Rudolph has the benefit of squaring off with a Bengals defense that has left much to be desired so far this season. Cincinnati ranks 28th in theNFLin yards allowed per game, 27th in points allowed per game, and 24th in defensive efficiency, per Football Outsiders’ DVOA. The Bengals have a bottom-third unit against both the run and the pass, and though they have done a solid job of creating pressure, they have just five sacks and have created only two interceptions while yielding a 110.3 opponent passer rating. 

CornerbackWilliam JacksonIII is doing his typical strong work in coverage (85.7 passer rating against, per Pro Football Focus), butDre Kirkpatrick(135.9) has been lit up, and the team’s linebackers and safeties have largely struggled to cover the middle of the field. The Steelers will presumably be withoutVance McDonaldin this game so their options in the passing game are somewhat limited compared to when they are at full strength, but it should at least be a bit easier for Rudolph to navigate this defense than it was a week ago. 

If Pittsburgh can gets its running game going against a Cincinnati front that has been getting pushed off the ball quite a bit, that will make things easier on Rudolph, and allow him to merely manage the game rather than having to go win it with his arm.  

When the Bengals have the ball

Speaking off offensive struggles … yikes. 

Bengals running backJoe Mixonhas carried the ball 32 times for 87 yards this season. He has gained a total of 17 yards before contact — less than half a yard per carry. Mixon has added just seven catches for 51 yards, and pass-catching back Gio Bernard has chipped in all of 56 yards on his five grabs, to go with his 32 yards on 16 carries. 

Andy Daltonis completing 63 percent of his passes at 7.6 yards per attempt, but he’s been sacked 11 times in three games and has five touchdowns against three interceptions. When throwing to players not namedTyler Boyd, he is 57 of 96 for 720 yards. That is, to put it kindly, gross. And were it not for a couple late-half heaves toJohn Brown, his numbers would be even worse. 

Lucky for Dalton, he is about to face a Pittsburgh defense that has been among the most forgiving in all of football. Sure, the Steelers have addedMinkah Fitzpatrickto the back end, but they are still insistent on covering slot receivers (i.e. Boyd) with either a linebacker or safetyTerrell Edmunds, none of whom appear to be up to the task. Throw in the fact thatMike Hiltonhas been torched for a perfect 158.3 passer rating on throws in his direction and that even outside cornersJoe Haden(91.8) andSteven Nelson(97.4) are not exactly lighting the world on fire, and, well, it’s easy to see why the Steelers have struggled so badly on defense. 

But what happens when a stoppable force meats a moveable object? Aren’t you glad we get to find out the answer to this question on Monday Night Football?

Prediction: Bengals 17, Steelers 13

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