Steelers vs Bengals 12/21/2020 NFL Odds, Preview and Prediction

Two FC North division teams on opposite ends of the team standings collide on Monday Night Football as the Pittsburgh Steelers travel to the Buckeye State to take on the Cincinnati Bengals at the Paul Brown Stadium.

The Steelers are coming off a 26-15 loss to the Buffalo Bills on the road last weekend while the Bengals are fresh off a 30-7 beating against the Dallas Cowboys in their last assignment. Pittsburgh holds a commanding 65-35 edge in the all-time regular season series meeting between these two franchises. The Steelers have won the last 10 games played between these two teams including a dominant 36-10 win at home in their first meeting of the season last November 15th.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers opened the season with an immaculate 11-0 record. But the Steelers have dropped their last two games against Washington and Buffalo. Pittsburgh is still on top of the AFC North team standings right now but now find themselves one game behind the Kansas City Chiefs in the race for the top spot in the AFC and the first-round bye that goes along with it.

Pittsburgh jumped to a 7-0 lead against the Bills last week but then watched the Bills score 23 unanswered points before beating them 26-15. Ben Roethlisberger threw for 187 yards with two touchdowns. Roethlisberger has thrown for 3,292 yards with 29 touchdowns and only nine interceptions. However, with running back James Conner hurt, Big Ben, will have to carry a lot of load here on offense.

Pittsburgh ranks 16th in the NFL in total offense at 246.5 yards per game. They are next to last in rushing at only 89.1 rushing yards per game. The Steelers are 12th in the league in scoring at 26.8 points per game this season. The Pittsburgh defense is the number one team in the NFL when it comes to scoring defense as they are just allowing 18.2 points per game this season.

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals suffered their 5th straight loss after they were massacred 30-7 by the woeful Dallas Cowboys and their former QB Andy Dalton. Since they are already out of the playoff picture, the Bengals are merely looking to play the role of the spoiler here. However, that won’t be an easy task against a team whom they have not beaten since November 1, 2015.

Cincinnati allowed former quarterback Andy Dalton to throw two touchdowns for the Dallas Cowboys as the Bengals lost for the 8th time in their last nine assignments. Like the Steelers, the Bengals don’t have a solid running game with RB Joe Mixon out of the year with a foot injury. However, they have a pair of big-time wideouts in Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins who have caught 840 and 778 yards, respectively this season.

The Bengals are ranked 23rd in passing offense at 227 yards per game this season. They are 9th on the ground at only 92.3 rushing yards per contest. Cincinnati is also 30th in scoring points at just 18.8 points per game this season. They are 22nd in scoring defense at 26 points per game conceded.

Who Wins?

Pittsburgh is 11-2 SU in their last 13 games played. The Steelers are 5-1 SU in their last six games played on the road, Cincinnati is 1-5 SU in their last six games played. The Bengals are 2-4 SU in six home games played this season.

The Steelers’ offense faltered against the Bill, producing just 15 points on 224 total yards. The offense has averaged just 17 points per game in their last three outings after going for 30 points per game. Ben Roethlisberger had a TD: INT ratio of 24-5 before this current three-game funk but has five picks and only four touchdowns during the span. However, the Bengals have struggled all season long and the Steelers’ offense should get back on track here.

The Bengals were fun to watch with Joe Burrow but with the no.1 pick of the 2020 NFL Draft sidelined due to injury. Cincinnati was 2-5-1 SU and 6-1-1 ATS with Burrow starting behind center. But the Bengals offense has averaged only 10 points per game during their current 1-4 SU skid and they are 0-3 SU with only three touchdowns passes and two interceptions and only 504 passing yards across three contests with Brandon Allen as the starter.

Had the Steelers kept their unbeaten record to this point, this Cincinnati game would have been considered a trap. However, with the playoffs coming soon and the Steelers losing their last two outings, this is a game they need to win to get their mojo back. Pittsburgh heads to this game with a chip on their shoulders and that’s not good for Cincinnati.

Prediction: Pittsburgh Steelers

Other Bets To Make

The Steelers are 2-4 ATS in their last six games played. Pittsburgh is 6-2 ATS in their last eight games against the AFC, but 0-6 ATS in their last six December games. The Bengals are 1-4 ATS in their last five games played. Cincinnati is 4-1 ATS in their last five games played at home, and 1-5 ATS in their last six December games. Head to head, the Steelers are 6-2-2 ATS in their last 10 games plate against the Bengals.

The spread in this game has reached two touchdowns and that’s something to ask from the betting favorites. But between the huge spread and trusting the Bengals, you might as well eat the chalk in this game. Cincinnati’s offense has struggled in its last five outings and they are coming off a 23-point loss to the woeful Dallas Cowboys. Sure, the Steelers have dropped two in a row but what better way to bounce back in the winning column than demolishing a Bengals team that has found it hard to score points as of late.

Prediction: Steelers -14

The total has gone under in five out of the last six games played by the Steelers. The under is 4-1-1 in their last six games played on the road, and 10-5 in their last 15 games played against the AFC North Division. The total has gone over in four out of the last five games played by the Bengals. Cincinnati has seen the total go over in four out of their last five games played against the AFC. The over is 5-1 in their last six games played against the AFC North division. Head to head, the total has gone under in seven out of the last 10 meetings between these two teams.

There is no question that the Steelers are going to put up points on the scoreboard here. But whether the Cincinnati Bengals can match their scoring output is another story. Pittsburgh has the best scoring defense in the league so they don’t need a lot of points to win games, although they are a very good offensive team. Cincinnati has been held to 10 or fewer points in four out of their last five games played and they have not scored more than 17 points during that stretch. I think the Steelers get the job done of the defensive end and that helps keep this game under the total.

Prediction: Under 40.5

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