The Pittsburgh Steelers don’t have time to celebrate their Week 6 win over the Cleveland Browns, as they have the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday Night Football in Week 7. The Bengals are without Joe Burrow, but a familiar face awaits in Joe Flacco. He’s seen the Steelers for a lot of years, and he’s never had this kind of weaponry. This is another must-win game for the Steelers. They have to keep gaining ground on the rest of the AFC North.
The Steelers love letting their opponents hang around in games. They can’t do that this week against the Bengals. Joe Flacco is old, but he’s still dangerous. Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins can take any pass to the endzone. Their offense can hang with the best of them. The Pittsburgh defense has to keep its momentum rolling. Get to the quarterback early and often. Capitalize on turnover opportunities, unlike last week. Don’t let Cincinnati hang around.
Primetime games in Cincinnati seem to be cursed. Somebody always gets hurt, or in Damar Hamlin and Ryan Shazier’s cases, even worse. The Steelers must come out of Cincinnati healthy. There is a lot of football left to be played, and if they want to compete, they must stay healthy down the stretch. Health is always important in the NFL, but if Pittsburgh is the second-oldest team in the league, it is even more important.
The Steelers’ defense had six sacks against Dillon Gabriel in Week 6. Flacco isn’t nearly as mobile, and he’s playing behind a worse offensive line. Pittsburgh’s stellar defensive line will have a chance to feast on Thursday Night. Flacco has seen his fair share of the Steelers over the years, but never behind an offensive line that’s this bad. He’s in trouble on Thursday. The only way Pittsburgh can lose is a string of mental lapses on defense.
The Bengals have struggled against running backs this season. They allow 120 rushing yards and almost two touchdowns per game to running backs. Cincinnati also allows 47 receiving yards per game to running backs. Jaylen Warren is versatile. He can kill teams on the ground or in the air. Coming off a great week, it’s time for another big game from Warren. He’s never scored a touchdown against the Bengals, but he has a grand opportunity this week.
The Steelers haven’t had great luck on Thursday Night Football against familiar faces. They are 0-8 in Thursday road games against division opponents in the Super Bowl era. They are looking to make history and get their first road win on Thursday Night Football in Week 7. Luckily, Aaron Rodgers is great on Thursdays with a record of 13-5 over his career. If there was ever a time to break the streak, it’s now.
Pittsburgh has to get another win on Thursday to continue its dominance in the AFC North this season. They shouldn’t lose to Cincinnati, but anything can happen in division games. The Steelers have won four of their last six against the Bengals and lead the all-time series 71-40. Joe Flacco is 11-11 against the Steelers in his career. Don’t let him get above .500. Handle business on Thursday Night.
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