No matter how good the Bengals are, how they play against the Steelers is their biannual barometer of true success. Through five weeks this year the Bengals are sitting in the sweet spot of second in the AFC, but there are still experts and even fans who don’t believe this team is capable of making a playoff run. Their first meeting with the Steelers this week should tell us a lot about whether or not we should start labeling this team as an actual contender or not. Here is everything you need to know for when the Bengals take on the Steelers: Game: Cincinnati Bengals (4-1) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2-1) Date/Time: Oct. 14th, 2018 at 1:00 p.m. EST Location: Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, OH Streaming: Fubo TV Series Leader: Steelers lead the series 60-35 Streak: The Steelers have won the past five games Coaches vs. Opponent: Marvin Lewis: (8-22) vs. Mike Tomlin (17-5) TV Broadcast: The game will air on CBS-TV. In the Bengals’ home region, it will be carried by WKRC-TV (Ch. 12) in Cincinnati, WHIO-TV (Ch. 7) in Dayton and on WKYT-TV (Ch. 27) in Lexington. Broadcasters are Ian Eagle (play-byplay), Dan Fouts (analyst) and Evan Washburn (sideline reporter). Radio Broadcast: The game will air on the Bengals Radio Network, led by Cincinnati flagship stations WLW-AM (700), WCKY-AM (ESPN 1530; all sports) and WEBN-FM (102.7). Broadcasters are Dan Hoard (play-by-play) and Dave Lapham (analyst). SB Nation Steelers site: Behind the Steel Curtain Weather: Mid 80’s, mostly cloudy [NFL weather] Odds: Bengals, -3 [Odds Shark] Bengals Notes Quarterback Andy Dalton aims for third in row against Pittsburgh with over two touchdown passes. In his past seven games at home, Dalton has 1,583 passing yards (226.1 per game) with 13 touchdowns and only three picks for a 93.3 rating. He aims for his fifth in a row vs the AFC North with over two touchdown and no interceptions. In his past six against the AFC North, Dalton has 17 touchdown passes and only two interceptions for a 102.9 rating. He has over a 95 rating in three of the past four against the division. Running back Joe Mixon had 115 scrimmage yards (93 rushing and 22 receiving) with a touchdown catch last week. He has over 100 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown in two of his past his three games. In his past two at home, Mixon has 202 scrimmage yards (101 per game) and a touchdown catch. In his past four vs. the division, he has 391 scrimmage yards (97.8 per game) and a rushing touchdown. had 115 scrimmage yards (93 rushing and 22 receiving) with a touchdown catch last week. He has over 100 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown in two of his past his three games. In his past two at home, has 202 scrimmage yards (101 per game) and a touchdown catch. In his past four vs. the division, he has 391 scrimmage yards (97.8 per game) and a rushing touchdown. Wide receiver A.J. Green had six catches for 112 yards last week. He had 77 receiving yards and two touchdowns in his last meeting with Pittsburgh. He has four touchdown catches in his past five against the Steelers. He has 685 receiving yards (85.6 per game) and sevem touchdowns in his past eight at home. Green is one of two players ( Cooper Kupp ) with over 400 receiving yards (409) and five touchdown catches in 2018. Wide receiver Tyler Boyd had over 100 receiving yards in two of his past three. had six catches for 112 yards last week. He had 77 receiving yards and two touchdowns in his last meeting with Pittsburgh. He has four touchdown catches in his past five against the Steelers. He has 685 receiving yards (85.6 per game) and sevem touchdowns in his past eight at home. is one of two players ( ) with over 400 receiving yards (409) and five touchdown catches in 2018. Wide receiver had over 100 receiving yards in two of his past three. Defensive tackle Geno Atkins had two sacks last week. He has three sacks in his past two games. He aims for his third game in a row at home with at least two sacks. Atkins is tied for the league-lead with 6 sacks. Defensive end Michael Johnson had a 22-yard interception returned for a touchdown, and rookie defensive end Sam Hubbard had a 19-yard fumble returned for a touchdown last week, it was the first-career touch downs for both players. Steelers Notes Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger passed for 250 yards with three touchdowns and one interception for a 112.7 rating last week. He has at least three touchdown passes in three of his past four. In his past eight against the Bengals, Roethlisberger has 2,270 pass yards (283.8 per game) with 14 touchdowns and eight interceptions for a 90 rating. He had at least a 90 rating in two of the past three meetings. In his past eight divisional games, he has 2,387 pass yards (298.4 per game) with 14 touchdown passes and nine interceptions. He leads the AFC and ranks third in the NFL with 1,664 passing yards passed for 250 yards with three touchdowns and one interception for a 112.7 rating last week. He has at least three touchdown passes in three of his past four. In his past eight against the Bengals, has 2,270 pass yards (283.8 per game) with 14 touchdowns and eight interceptions for a 90 rating. He had at least a 90 rating in two of the past three meetings. In his past eight divisional games, he has 2,387 pass yards (298.4 per game) with 14 touchdown passes and nine interceptions. He leads the AFC and ranks third in the NFL with 1,664 passing yards Running back James Conner rushed for 110 yards with two touchdowns and had four catches for 75 yards last week. He has joined Hall of Famer Jim Brown (1963) as only player with multiple games with 100 rushing yards, 50 receiving yards and two rushing touchdowns in the team’s first five games of the season. He has 287 scrimmage yards (143.5 per game) and two rushing touchdowns in his past two games on the road. rushed for 110 yards with two touchdowns and had four catches for 75 yards last week. He has joined Hall of Famer Jim Brown (1963) as only player with multiple games with 100 rushing yards, 50 receiving yards and two rushing touchdowns in the team’s first five games of the season. He has 287 scrimmage yards (143.5 per game) and two rushing touchdowns in his past two games on the road. Wide receiver Antonio Brown had six catches for 101 yards and two touchdowns last week. He has 11 career games with over 100 receiving yards and two touchdown catches, which is the most among active NFL players. He aims for third in row against the Bengals with a touchdown catch. Wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster had a touchdown catch last week. He aims for his third in row on the road with at least 110 receiving yards had six catches for 101 yards and two touchdowns last week. He has 11 career games with over 100 receiving yards and two touchdown catches, which is the most among active NFL players. He aims for third in row against the Bengals with a touchdown catch. Wide receiver had a touchdown catch last week. He aims for his third in row on the road with at least 110 receiving yards Linebacker T.J. Watt had eight tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble last week. He is the only player with multiple three sack games in 2018. He is tied for the league-lead with six sacks ( Geno Atkins and J.J. Watt ). Defensive tackle Cameron Heyward had 1.5 sacks last week. He has 5.5 sacks in his past seven games. He has a sack in two of his past three at Cincinnati. Linebacker L.J. Fort had 6 tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery for a touchdown last week.<doc-sep>To paraphrase the Immortal Bad Boys 2, “stuff just got real” for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers got a big win over the Atlanta Falcons to pull to 2-2-1 and now have three straight division games with a bye week thrown in. First up are the AFC North leading Cincinnati Bengals. They are the class of the division right now but far from unbeatable. Here are the three keys to victory for Pittsburgh. Match Cincinnati’s intensity Last week we finally saw a Pittsburgh team come out with energy and intensity. Flat starts had been Kryptonite for this team previously. You know Cincinnati is going to come out of the locker room fired up, hoping to improve on their 4-1 record. The Steelers need to come out and match that intensity. And if they cannot, at least hold the Bengals off until things balance out without spotting Cincinnati a big lead.<doc-sep>
Justin K. Aller/Getty Images The Steelers own a six-game winning streak in the rivalry with the Bengals, going 4-1-1 against the spread in the process. But Pittsburgh is struggling out of the gate this season, while Cincinnati is streaking. Who's the smart bet for Sunday's AFC North showdown at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati? NFL point spread: The Bengals opened as three-point favorites; the total was 54.5 early in the week, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report) NFL betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 31.4-24.2 Bengals (NFL picks on every game) Check out the OddsShark podcast on iTunes or Spotify or at OddsShark.libsyn.com for more odds information, betting picks and a breakdown of this week’s top sports betting news. Why the Steelers can cover the spread The Steelers just bounced back from a home loss to Baltimore two weeks ago to beat Atlanta 41-17 in Week 5. Video Play Button Videos you might like Pittsburgh drove the opening possession of the game 78 yards to a touchdown, led 13-0 after one quarter, then let the Falcons get within 13-10 at the half. But the Steelers scored the first two touchdowns out of the locker room and added the last two scores for the blowout and the cover as 3.5-point favorites. Pittsburgh outgained Atlanta 381-324 and won the ground battle 131-62, as James Conner, playing in place of holdout Le'Veon Bell, accounted for 185 yards from scrimmage and scored twice. The Steelers also blocked a punt, leading to one touchdown, recorded six sacks and capped the victory with a sack/fumble recovery for a score. Pittsburgh is now 2-2-1 overall but 0-1-1 in AFC North play, so the Steelers could really use a divisional win. Why the Bengals can cover the spread The Bengals are 4-1 overall and 4-1 ATS this season following their 27-17 come-from-behind victory over Miami last week. Cincinnati started badly, as an interception in the Dolphins' red zone on the Bengals first possession of the game, a blocked field goal and a 71-yard Miami punt return for a score created a 17-0 deficit. But Cincinnati pulled to within 17-10 heading into the fourth quarter, then scored two defensive touchdowns for the win and the unlikely cover as a six-point favorite. The Bengals outgained the Dolphins 332-297 and won the turnover battle 3-1. And the Cincinnati defense never actually let Miami penetrate its red zone—the Dolphins scored on a 22-yard pass play, but that was their deepest incursion all day. Running back Joe Mixon, back after missing two games with a knee injury, accounted for 115 yards from scrimmage and scored once. Two weeks ago the Bengals scored a touchdown with seven seconds left to win at Atlanta 37-36. At 4-1, Cincinnati leads the AFC North by a game and a tiebreaker over second-place Baltimore. Smart betting pick Pittsburgh swept this season series last year by scores of 29-14 and 23-20. But the Steelers are not the same team right now compared to then, while the Bengals are better. The smart money here sides with Cincinnati. NFL betting trends The total has gone over in the Bengals' last five games versus divisional opponents. The total has gone over in six of the Steelers' last seven games. (Avg combined score: 59.29) The Steelers are 1-6 ATS in their last seven games in the early afternoon. All NFL odds and betting trends according to Bleacher Report's official odds partner, OddsShark. Check out OddsShark on Twitter and Instagram or head to YouTube for more betting picks and analysis on this week's top games. You can also download the free odds tracker app.