Monday Night Football features a clash between two of the hottest running backs as the Pittsburgh Steelers (9-2) take on the Cincinnati Bengals (5-6) from Paul Brown Stadium.
The Steelers have won six in a row, while the Bengals are looking to win three straight games for the first time this season after defeating the Denver Broncos and Cleveland Browns in the last two weeks.
Meanwhile the Steelers last week took care of the Green Bay Packers at Heinz Field led by Antonio Brown’s 169 yards and two touchdowns in 10 receptions. The Steelers won 31-28 thanks to a game-winning field goal from Chris Boswell as time expired
On the ground running back Le’Veon Bell contributed with 95 yards on 20 carries, but most importantly he was also a factor in the passing game as quarterback Ben Roethlisberger targeted him 12 times for 88 yards.
Against the Bengals, the Steelers will need the offensive line to pave the way for Bell and let him dominate on the ground. The Steelers will be better off if they can play an aggressive and physical game in the trenches to control the time of possession and field position. Once that’s taken care off they can target Brown downfield and use him to take over the game.
The Bengals may not have a Le’Veon Bell to establish a running game, but in last week’s match against the Browns, running back Joe Mixon finally showed up and energized Cincinnati’s ground attack.
Last week Mixon had 23 carries as he ran for 114 yards and a touchdown for an average of 5 yards per attempt. In contrast, the Bengals running game had been averaging less than 68 yards per game and 2.9 yards per carry going into their match against the Browns.
Mixon also contributed with three catches for 51 yards as he led the Bengals to a 30-16 victory over the Browns with 180 yards from scrimmage. That’s notable, considering that in the three previous games he had 135 scrimmage yards combined.
Against the Steelers’ stingy defense, the Bengals might be better off if they can keep Andy Dalton from having to attempt 35 to 40 passes because when he does, he usually turns the ball over.
On the other hand, If Mixon can repeat last week’s numbers against the Steelers, the Bengals may have a chance to win this game.
