Bengals
vs.
Steelers
Week 2
NFL Pick
9/18/16
The Steelers put a good beating on Washington in week one although the Game was within reach for Washington early in the 4th quarter. However, Antonio Brown was Antonio Brown and DeAngelo Williams did exactly what he did last year when Bell was out… produce.
The Steelers were about a 2-point favorite over Washington; well they covered that and added insult to injury. Big Ben put out another 300 yard passing Game. Antonio Brown produced over 100 yards receiving. It was shocking to see that Josh Norman wasn’t covering him, but it’s not AB’s fault that Washington decided to go a different (yet dumb) defensive route.
Now all of this praise is not to say that the Steelers are without weaknesses because their secondary is a little suspect, but they have the offensive power to overcome that pitfall.
CiNCy pulled out a 1-point victory over a very good Jets team. It’s a little too early to tell, but AJ Green might have just proved that Father Time has caught up to Revis Island. AJ Green did pretty much anything and everything he wanted to do against the Jets’ defense. He had 12 receptions for 180 yards. That’s called doing your damn thang. Yes, I said thang.
CiNCy did not get much out of their run Game and it’s not like they were playing catch up football. I guess they just saw a weakness and unleashed the Red Rocket’s fury on the Jets’ secondary. Andy Dalton was sacked seven times though and hits tend to add up, just ask David Carr. It’s not as if the Steelers’ defensive line is comparable to the Jets’, but that weakness in pass protection can be exposed by the Steelers’ defensive scheme.
This is a very important AFC North matchup as the division winner will likely be a part of this Game. The Steelers took the Wild Card Game last season in a squeaker, 18-16. The Bengals were without Dalton in that one. Dalton did play the regular season Game in Pittsburgh though, with the Bengals coming away with a 16-10 decision.
This time around, it’s a short week of preparation for the Steelers, in off their Monday Nighter. In another tight Game, we’ll take the spot, which has climbed to +3.5 in spots. Bengals +3.5