AFC Wildcard Playoff Preview: Pittsburgh at Cincinnati

AFC Wildcard Playoff Preview: Pittsburgh At Cincinnati

Saturday, January 9th, 2016 – CBS 8:15 P.M. ET

Announcers: CBS with Jim Nantz, Phil Simms and Tracy Wolfson (field reporter).

It’s an AFC North rivalry in the 2^nd AFC wildcard game as the 10-6 Pittsburgh Steelers will travel to Cincinnati Bengals to take on the 12-4 Bengals. The Steelers are 3-point favorites despite sneaking into the postseason after the Jets squandered their postseason birth with a week 17 loss to the Bills. In the teams earlier meetings they split the season series 1-1 with each team winning on the road. Let’s take a look at some keys to the game.

Why Pittsburgh Will Win:

1. Cincinnati Has Not Won A Playoff Game Since 1990

Some teams simply cannot get the job done in postseason play; Cincinnati is one of those teams. Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis has a career playoff record of 0-6, something that would get most coaches fired in today’s NFL. Quarterback Andy Dalton has already been ruled out which means A.J. McCarron will be the starting quarterback. Nevertheless this may not be a bad thing as Dalton is 0-4 in the playoffs. The Steelers have always been known a great playoff team always finding a way to win behind great coaching leadership. During Mike Tomlin’s Super Bowl run the Steelers were also a wildcard team and have that sort of scary 6^th seed feel to them. Based on history alone the Steelers look like the favorites.

Ben Roethlisberger has had more success on the road against the Bengals than at home. pic.twitter.com/XUigf0qIOR

— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) January 9, 2016

2. Clear Quarterback Advantage

Who would you rather have Ben Roethlisberger or A.J. McCarron? Sounds pretty easy to me. Roethlisberger’s a winner and that offense can be just down right scary at times. Antonio Brown, Markus Wheaton, and Martavis Bryant will absolutely create problems. The arm strength factor will also create a different dynamic during a cold night playoff game. Big Ben’s elite arm strength will cut through the wind much better than McCarron’s average arm. For Pittsburgh to win this game the Steelers will need an efficient game from Big Ben going up against a solid Bengal defense.

3. Pittsburgh Has An Elite Pass Rush

The Steelers defense for the most part is very average but one thing they really thrive at is their pass rush. Pittsburgh ranked 3^rd in the NFL with 48 sacks. The defensive line duo of Stephon Tuitt and Cameron Hayward can be down right frightening and could cause one costly turnover to turn the game in Pittsburgh’s favor. Linebackers Bud Dupree, James Harrison, and Lawrence Timmons also have the ability to get after the quarterback. If Cincy can’t protect McCarron the Bengals have virtually no shot at pulling out a home upset.

Pittsburgh’s X Factor: Martavis Bryant

We know Antonio Brown is going to get his but what about the other guys? Bryant’s ability to go deep is the dynamic that can change this game. Can Bryant sneak by for an 80 yard bomb to win the game? Maybe, it will be tough as Cincy normally does a great job of limiting big plays.

Why Cincinnati Will Win:

1. The Bengals May Have The Best Roster In the League

The Bengals 53 man roster from top to bottom may be the best in the league. Jeremy Hill, Giovani Bernard, A.J. Green, Tyler Eifert, a dominant offensive line what’s not love? Defensively they are just as talented led by Geno Atkins and Carlos Dunlap who are the top sack tandem in the league. The second thing is are we really so sure the Steelers are good? Just two weeks ago the Steelers were shredded by the Ravens and Ryan Mallet getting swept by a 5 win Baltimore team. From a talent standpoint outside of quarterback I will take the Bengals roster over the Steelers every day of the week.

2. Andy Dalton’s Absence Could Be A Blessing In Disguise

People may be forgetting something about Bengals starting quarterback A.J. McCarron; He’s a winner! McCarron won three national championships at the University of Alabama (2010, 2012, 2013). Some players choke during postseason play. Andy Dalton has gone 0-4 during postseason play never playing in a national championship game with a talented TCU team. Don’t believe in McCarron? His girlfriend may speak otherwise in the amount of confidence he possess.

While McCarron’s NFL stint thus far has been brief he has been improving each and every game. Cincinnati’s 25-year playoff win drought has to end sometime right? Maybe the 3x national champion from Alabama is the man to get the monkey off the Bengals back. Offensive Coordinator Hue Jackson spoke about McCarron’s improvements since taking over for Dalton against the Steelers in week 13

“Just the poise,” offensive coordinator Hue Jackson said. “Obviously he’s done a really good job of not turning the ball over. In that game we had two turnovers. That kind of led to our demise on offense and losing the game. I think if you take care of the ball and play the way we have, you have a chance to have great things happen.”

3. Cincinnati’s Running Game Could Control Time Of Possession

The Jeremy Hill/Giovani Bernard combination has been terrific for the Bengals all season. The running game will be an important factor in a cold weather game and Jeremy Hill has that bruising running style that could end up eating chunks of clock away from the Steelers. If that’s not enough Bernard can spell Hill becoming an explosive weapon in the passing game. For Pittsburgh the running game is not nearly as explosive as they will be missing both Le’Veon Bell and DeAngelo Williams. We saw how devastating the loss of Bell was during last season’s post season trip.

According to Pro Football Focus Cincy has the 8^th best offensive line in the league, 2^nd among playoff teams. Pitt ranks 12th, 5th in pass blocking and 20th in run blocking. Below is just a friendly reminder of the backs the Steelers have to assemble during this crucial playoff game.

Cincinnati’s X Factor: Adam Jones – Dre Kirkpatrick

The Bengals secondary may be the ultimate decider in who wins this game. Antonio Brown cannot be stopped only contained. Baltimore proved this theory 2 weeks ago playing a smart zone defense daring Pittsburgh to run the football. In the game vs Baltimore, Brown put up season lows with only 102 yards over the course of there two meetings. Paul Guenther the pressure is on you on devising a game plan on quieting the league’s best wide receiving core.

Def Pen Staff Picks:

Rob Lopez – Pittsburgh Steelers

Charlie Taylor – Pittsburgh Steelers

Honi Ahmadian – Pittsburgh Steelers

When choosing this game it rather difficult to pick against the Steelers in this situation but I’m going to side with Cincy in this one. Getting 3 points is enough for me in this divisional rivalry along with the fact of playing this game at home. Beating the Bengals 2x in one season on the road seems like a difficult task. It also may be entirely possible that the Steelers are over rated. This is of course the same team that let Tim Tebow win a playoff game when America didn’t give them much of a chance with inferior quarterback play, a situation the Bengals also find themselves in.

PREDICTION:

Cincinnati Bengals defeat Pittsburgh Steelers 28-27