Bengals vs. Steelers: 6 Bold Predictions
Here on Musket Fire, we’re helping to pass the time until the Divisional Round by making bold predictions for each of the AFC Wild Card matchups. After all, one of these four teams is going to end up facing the New England Patriots next weekend.
Yesterday, we broke down six bold predictions for the Houston Texans-Kansas City Chiefs showdown. Today, we’re going to do the same for the looming AFC North matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers.
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These teams know one another very, very well. One of the more underrated rivalries in football, the Bengals and Steelers tied the season series in 2015. The Bengals prevailed in the first game by a score of 16-10, and then the Steelers exacted revenge a little over a month later, 33-20.
Read on for the six bold predictions.
Next: 6. A.J. McCarron first 300-yard game
6. A.J. McCarron first 300-yard game in career
Thus far, McCarron has been a serviceable quarterback for the Bengals. He has yet to truly break out and light it up, throwing at most for 280 yards in the second game against the Steelers. Since then, he’s thrown for 192 yards against the San Francisco 49ers, 200 yards against the Denver Broncos and 160 yards against the Baltimore Ravens.
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Both of McCarron’s only interceptions came in the Dec. 13 Steelers game, so revenge will be on the Alabama product’s mind when he takes the field on Saturday night. And McCarron will follow through, throwing for 300 yards and three touchdowns (more on who will catch those touchdowns later).
Seeing as how the Steelers allowed the third-most passing yards out of all the teams in the regular season (4,350), it’s not unreasonable to think that McCarron will put forth the best performance of his young career in his first playoff start.
Next: 5. Martavis Bryant will respond to challenge
5. Martavis Bryant will respond to challenge
As detailed by Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Ben Roethlisberger issued a challenge to No. 2 wideout Martavis Bryant earlier this week, urging him to “tough it up” in the playoffs. Bryant has received criticism from all manner of places in recent weeks, including the “lazy” label from analyst Merril Hoge.
With Antonio Brown drawing the focus of the Cincy secondary, Bryant will have the opportunity to make good on his quarterback’s challenge. The sophomore pro will respond by leading the Steelers in receiving yards in this game and snagging a pair of touchdown catches.
It’s been a solid, if not spectacular season for Clemson product, catching 50 passes for 765 yards and six touchdowns. Seeing as how he averaged 21.1 yards per reception and posted eight touchdowns as a rookie, however, Bryant still has work to do this season.
There’s no doubt that Bryant is one of the more talented young wideouts in the NFL right now, and he will prove that to the masses on Saturday night.
Next: 4. Reggie Nelson pick-six
4. Reggie Nelson pick-six
Nelson tied rookie standout Marcus Peters for the league lead with eight interceptions, marking a career season for the Florida A&M product. He churned out 115 return yards on those picks, but has yet to reach the end zone this season. That will change on Wild Card weekend.
Despite missing four starts due to injuries, Big Ben has tossed an eyebrow-raising 16 interceptions this season. Expect the ball-hawking Nelson to take advantage of an ill-advised deep pass and take it all the way back for a crucial score.
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Look, Nelson has simply had Roethlisberger’s number recently. He picked Big Ben off twice in the Bengals’ Nov. 1 victory, and in total, Nelson has recorded six interceptions in the last seven times he’s faced the Steelers’ quarterback.
With that in mind, we’re going to take it up a notch and predict that Nelson is going to make Roethlisberger pay dearly in the form of a pick-six.
Next: 3. Steelers will hold Hill, Gio under 60 yards rushing
3. Steelers will hold Jeremy Hill, Giovani Bernard to under 60 yards rushing
Hill and Bernard represent one of the best backfield combos in the NFL. Both Hill and Bernard rushed for over 700 yards this season, and they’ve been used increasingly more since McCarron took over at quarterback.
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But the Steelers’ fifth-ranked run defense will throw a wrench in the spokes of the Cincy ground game by not allowing the duo to accumulate over 60 yards on the ground. Doing so will put the outcome of this playoff game entirely in the hands of McCarron, which we elaborated on earlier.
So while the Bengals aren’t going to be able to do much on the ground in this game, they will get to see their young backup quarterback come of age. McCarron won’t have the run game to lean on, but he will at least have Bernard as a receiving option out of the backfield.
Next: 2. Tyler Eifert hat trick TDs
2. Tyler Eifert will have a hat trick of touchdowns
The second-leading touchdown receptor in the NFL this season with 13 scores, Eifert is primed and ready for a huge performance in this game because of the chemistry the Notre Dame product has developed with McCarron.
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Here’s what McCarron had to say about Eifert’s return to the lineup:
"It definitely helps. He is an unbelievable player for us and a great target. He really made some good plays today and definitely helped us out. He has done an excellent job when he came back earlier this week really focusing in on what routes we needed to get extra work on and we did that. He knows where to be and I have a good feel for where he is going to be. I think it showed on the touchdown pass. I knew he was going to end up being there, and the defender was looking at me, so I let it go, and he did an excellent job of making the catch for the TD. There are certain guys that you know the feel they are going to have for the game and how they play the game, and he is just one of those guys."
Clearly, McCarron thinks highly of the third-year tight end. Expect McCarron to target Eifert early and often, leading to Eifert corralling all three of McCarron’s touchdown passes and proving to be the difference in this game.
Next: 1. Mike Nugent 55-yard FG in OT
1. Mike Nugent will boot through a 55-yard field goal for overtime win
The Bengals will earn their first playoff win of the Marvin Lewis era when Mike Nugent drills a career-long field goal of 55 yards in overtime. Yes, it will take overtime for these divisional foes to sort out who deserves to advance in the playoffs, but the Bengals will eventually emerge victorious.
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McCarron’s three touchdown connections with Eifert and Nelson’s pick-six will be just enough for the Bengals to force at tie at 31 points at the end of regulation. As for the Steelers, they will enjoy Bryant’s pair of touchdowns as well as a pair of goal line rushing scores.
Both teams will trade possessions at the beginning of overtime, from which point the Bengals’ offense will kick it up a gear and McCarron will lead the offense down the field. It won’t be an easy kick by any means, but that long 55-yard distance will represent how long it’s been since the Bengals last won a playoff game, all the way back in 1991. This writer hadn’t even been born then.
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With the victory, the Bengals will face the Patriots in the Divisional Round.