Pittsburgh Steelers: Game Day Breakdown and Predictions
By Dan Thomas
The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the most historic and successful franchises in professional sports. Yet, they have been going through a drought over the last few seasons. They have gone nearly five years since their last playoff victory. More specifically, they have gone 1,813 days since their last playoff win. However, that can all change by the end of tonight.
The Steelers will be without Le’Veon Bell and DeAngelo Williams while the Bengals will be without Andy Dalton. The Steelers will be playing with their fifth-ranked rushing defense while the Bengals will bring their No. 7 ranked rushing defense into the game. Due to these reasons, fans should expect and old-school AFC North dogfight instead of any sort of shootout.
Steelers Quarterback: Ben Roethlisberger
Over the last nine games, Big Ben has thrown over 300 yards in six of them. In the two out of the three games he hasn’t, they have come against the Cincinnati Bengals. In five out of the last nine games, he has thrown multiple touchdowns against opposing defenses. In the two out of the four games he hasn’t, they have come against the Bengals. In short, the Bengals have been containing Roethlisberger and have been giving him fits. Playing at Cincinnati without his No. 1 and No. 2 RB, you should expect more of the same.
Predicted Stat Line: 31/44, 298 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Bengals Quarterback: A.J. McCarron
Since taking over for the injured Andy Dalton, McCarron has played pretty well. You won’t see him sling the ball around the field 40 times or force the ball into triple coverage. He’s a smart player who takes what the defense gives him and protects the ball. Heading into the game, he has 91 straight pass attempts without an interception.
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Predicted Stat Line: 22/31, 194 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
Steelers RBs: Fitzgerald Toussaint and Jordan Todman
These two inexperience running backs get a great opportunity to put their names on the map by playing big roles in this nationally-televised playoff game. Neither RB has shown much throughout their short careers but they will be expected to play a role in this game. Toussaint will get the start and will be the early down RB while Todman is expected to be the change of pace/receiving back. Fullback Will Johnson could also see a couple extra touches with the absence of Bell and Williams.
Predicted Stat Line: Toussaint – 11 carries, 39 yards, 2 receptions, 9 yards ; Todman – 5 carries, 13 yards, 4 receptions, 23 yards ; Will Johnson – 2 carries, 1 yard, 1 touchdown
Bengals RBs: Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard
Hill is the “starting RB” on the team but Bernard has been the better back all season. Hill only averaged 38 rushing yards in the two games he played against the Steelers this year. Bernard only has 52 total rushing yards in the two games against the Steelers this year but he averaged 7.43 yards a carry in those limited touches. Hill had fumbling issues at the end of the 2014 season and in the being of the 2015 season. However, he has been better at protecting the ball as of late. Prediction: A fumble by Hill halfway through the game causes the Bengals to give more carries to Bernard for the rest of the game.
Predicted Stat Line: Hill – 13 carries, 48 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 reception, 4 yards, 1 fumble lost ; Bernard – 9 carries, 45 yards, 3 receptions, 18 yards, 1 receiving touchdown
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Steelers WRs – Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant and Markus Wheaton
These players have been lighting up the stat sheet all season long but much like in the case of Big Ben, the Bengals have been giving this trio some problems. Brown averaged 121.43 receiving yards in 14 out of 16 games this season. In the other two games this season against the Bengals, he has averaged just 67 receiving yards a game. Bryant failed to reach 50 yards receiving in each of the two games against this Bengals this year.
Predicted Stat Line: Brown – 8 receptions, 86 yards, 1 touchdown ; Bryant – 6 receptions, 68 yards ; Wheaton – 3 receptions, 31 yards
Bengals WRs – A.J. Green and Marvin Jones
In each of the two games against the Steelers this year, Green had at least 115 receiving yards and 1 touchdown. The Steelers will make a point to contain him but it’ll be next to impossible to keep him bottled up the entire game. Marvin Jones can sometimes be an afterthought in this offense behind Green and TE Tyler Eifert but the defense can’t sleep on him. He is a sneaky deep threat who has a reception of at least 21 yards in 10 games this season.
Predicted Stat Line: Green – 7 receptions, 94 yards ; Jones – 5 receptions, 38 yards
Steelers TE: Heath Miller
In two games against the Bengals this season, Miller has recorded 10 receptions in each of them. However, since Week 2, he has never had more than 5 receptions in any other game. With the RB position being a question mark when it comes to pass-protection, Miller could be asked to stay in and block on a few more plays.
Predicted Stat Line: 3 receptions, 29 yards
Bengals TE: Tyler Eifert
Heeeee’s back. Eifert missed 3+ games in the final five weeks of the season with a neck injury and a concussion. He came back in Week 17 and hooked up with McCarron for a TD showing that he is healthy and that they’re on the same page. Despite that Week 17 performance and scoring 13 touchdowns this season, it won’t be a huge shocker if he is held in check just like when he played the Steelers back in Week 8. Remember, he has 4 or fewer receptions in 10 out of the 13 games he played this season.
Predicted Stat Line: 4 receptions, 38 yards
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Game Prediction: The Steelers will kick a field goal in the fourth quarter to take the lead 20-17. Late in the fourth quarter, McCarron will lead the team down the field in an attempt to tie the game but will throw an incomplete pass on 4th down with less than two minutes left. After getting the ball back, the Steelers will get one first down and then they’ll kneel the ball to end the game.
Final – Steelers 20, Bengals 17