Cincinnati Bengals: 3 Bold predictions vs. Steelers in Week 3
By Tadhg Flynn
2. Cincinnati Bengals to have fewer touchdowns than Steelers have sacks
The consensus amongst NFL fans and media approaching the 2021 NFL Draft was almost universal when discussing the Cincinnati Bengals. After losing the 2020 No. 1 pick to injury and receiving the No. 5 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft due to a disappointing year on the field, it was thought that the Bengals should pick a dominating offensive lineman to keep Joe Burrow safe.
Penei Sewell and Rashawn Slater were frequent names to pop up in draft projections. It all made sense.
The Bengals front office thought differently. De-facto general manager Duke Tobin decided to reunite Burrow with his LSU college teammate Ja’Marr Chase and inject their offense with an electric option. Chase struggled in the offseason, but he has opened the 2021 season with two touchdowns in two games.
He looks an excellent addition and may well be a star for the franchise for years to come. However, after two games in which Burrow was essentially beaten up and had his lunch money stolen by bullies, it looks to have been the incorrect choice.
The Bengals’ clear and obvious weakness is their offensive line. Already this year, the team has allowed nine sacks of Burrow. This is the second-highest total in the league through two weeks and it is far too many for a quarterback coming back from an ACL tear.
Burrow has also been hit an additional 16 times through the first two games. It also should be said that neither the Vikings nor the Bears will be in the highest echelons of pass rushes in the league this year. If the team is giving up this much pressure against middle of the pack defensive units, I fear future injury heartbreak for Burrow
It seems obvious to say, but this sort of pressure is not sustainable. A quarterback needs more safety and security to perform effectively, and the Bengals are never going to have sustained success without resolving this issue. They face a Steelers defense that has consistently been one of the best pass rushes in the entire NFL over the past five years.
This spells trouble for Burrow, despite injuries to perennial Defensive Player Of the Year candidate T.J. Watt and other key defensive linemen on the Steelers’ roster. For their Week 3 matchup, I predict that the Bengals will have fewer touchdowns than the Steelers have sacks.