Steelers second shot at the Bengals

When we last saw the Bengals they were climbing out of the hole they dug themselves in over recent years. To their credit they have weathered many poor decisions, some key injuries, and some off field garbage to rebound into a competive team.

The health of Carson Palmer has helped and the resurrection of Cedric Benson who had been a NFL bust up until mid season last year has been a good thing for Cincy. Yes this is the same Cedric Benson that led Texas U and was drafted as the 4th overall pick in 2005 by the Chicago Bears. This was the same draft that produced Ronnie Brown(2nd pick) and Cadillac Williams(5th pick).

Out of the gate Williams and Brown made an impact and Benson floundered. But the Bengals brought him in and gave him some time and some reps. So here we are in 2009 and Benson has this line: 198 carries for 837 yards. A 4.2 yard per carry average and 6 TD's.

Back on Sept 27 when our Steelers traveled to Cincinatti I assumed that the Men of Steel would put in a workman like day and come home with an easy win. But no, that did not happen. Benson for his part put in a solid 16 carry for 76 yards day.

So here we are Nov 15 at home hosting the Tiger. Hey let's face it, both clubs are playing better. Back in Sept Willies Parker actually led the Steelers with 93 yards. Mike Wallace led receivers with 102 yards.

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What needs to be done:

• A healthy dose of Rashard Mendenhall. The Steelers are steadily climbng the ranks of NFL rushing leaders. That needs to continue. They are presently at an okay #15 averaging 115 yards per game.
• The continued showcase of Ben and the Boys Chucking Show. The Steelers are #5 in the NFL in passing! They are putting up numbers that Bradshaw, Swann, and Stallworth never reached. The trio of Ward, Holmes, and Wallace is lethal!
• See bullet points 1 and 2 in combo. Soemthing like Ben 21 for 33 for 280 yards and the Mendenhall and company 27 carries for 140 yards
• Bengals are lacking in pass coverage so the run will help maximize the opportunities to throw. And you should throw against this defense.
• I say 27 or more points will be nice. Steelers avg 24.4 presently, for 14th in the league.
• Ball control and NO TURNOVERS! Mendenhall looks a bit fancy free with the ball at times.And Ben has had a couple brain freezes.
• The field position game. Sepulvada has been consistent pinning teams down and Logan can be dangerous with returns. Good field position is always big!
• Defense: Steelers are #1 against the run that will be tested this week. The Bengals play the Steelers twice a year so they are not intimidated by them in the least.Must keep Bengals rushing attack in check. 85 yards or less needs to be the goal.
• Steelers hold opponents to 17.4 points per game. Good for 6th in the NFL. Need to keep Cincy under 20. Keep them to field goals would be the key. I would like to see them held to 13.

What to expect:

• The Bengals are going to hit you with a nice mix of running and passing. They have 245 rushes and 260 passes thus far. This should be the norm and yet it isn't.
• Cincy is playing loose and with a nothing to lose attitude. They are going to play this one the same way. The worst that can happen is a split on the season for them.
• The Bengals rushing defense has been very good. Some of that is a result of the fact that teams throw on them more because there secondary has been soft. A good mix will create trouble for them. Especially if you establish success running. they already are poor on pass coverage so if they have to help up front that will only make the secondary that much more vulnerable.
• The Bengals are stingy with points. So my 27 would be great since they allow 16.9 presently.
• Bengals will get after Ben and have the front 7 to do it.

Injury:

STEELERS - Not to bad

By: Andy Natalie
ProFootball-fans.com Pittsburgh Steelers Correspondent