Monday, December 14, 5am AEDST, Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
NFL fans will be treated to an AFC North showdown on Sunday with the high flying Cincinnati Bengals hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paul Brown Stadium.
The Steelers and Bengals are two of the fiercest rivals in the league, and with serious playoff implications riding on the outcome the stakes could not be higher.
Bengals’ wide receiver Marvin Jones believes the game will be a brutal encounter.
“It’s going to be bloody on both sides,” Jones said.
“We expect that.”
Pittsbrugh Steeler David DeCastro echoed his opponents’ sentiments.
“We don’t like them, and they don’t like us. That’s as simple as it could be.”
It all paves the way for what should be a fascinating battle on Paul Brown Stadium.
Can the Bengals sweep the Steelers for the first time since 2009?
Typically, an AFC North match-up between bitter rivals can get spiteful, but battles between the Bengals and Steelers are usually on a whole other level of animosity.
This is compounded by the fact that the Sunday meeting between the two sides has significant postseason implications.
If the Bengals end the match with a win, they will reclaim the division crown after losing it to the Steelers last year.
Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said clinching the division title by defeating their bitter rivals is joyous happenstance.
“If you’re going to be AFC North champs, it’s probably fitting that you have to beat them to do that,” Lewis said.
A win will also give the Bengals their first sweep of the Steelers since 2009.
The importance of this contest seems greater than past midseason Steelers-Bengals games.
Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick believes there is more riding on this game than the teams’ meeting last month at Heinz Field.
“It’s special,” Kirkpatrick said.
“If anybody tells you it’s not special, then they’re lying. Because we’ve got a great opportunity to do something we’ve never [really] done, something that we can hang our hat on.
It’s a special moment, a special day. It’s a day to go out there and win the division. All around, Sunday should be a special day for us.”
Match betting predictions
Odds provided by Sportsbet.com.au
Winner: Cincinnati Bengals – $1.66
Total points Over/Under: Over 50 points – $1.94
Line bet: Cincinnati Bengals -3.0 points – $2.05
The Cincinnati Bengals are looking to clinch the AFC North with a win, while the Pittsburgh Steelers are fighting for their playoff lives.
It looms as Cincinnati’s biggest regular season game in the history of the franchise given what is at stake and who they are facing off against.
The Steelers’ offence is one of the most potentially prolific lines in football, with Ben Roethlisberger having Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant and Markus Wheaton at his disposal.
The Bengals however, have one of the best deep defences in the league, and even though big Ben was hampered with a knee injury last time out, they shut down any hope the QB had of throwing deep touchdowns in that encounter.
Expect another defensive suffocation by the Bengals on Ben Roethlisberger, and without Le’Veon Bell to take the pressure off big Ben, the Steelers will struggle to find answers on the offensive end.
The Cincinnati Bengals should win comfortably, clinching the division title and condemning their arch rivals to a post-season of no football in the process.
