Five Steelers to watch in second game with Bengals in 2020
Before every game of the 2020 NFL regular season, Steel City Underground will do a full-roster analysis to find five Pittsburgh Steelers players to keep a special eye on when watching on game day. This week we focus on the Steelers we think will make a difference in the game against the AFC North rival Cincinnati Bengals in Week 15.
The first time these two AFC North rivals met during the 2020 NFL regular season, the Pittsburgh Steelers handed the Cincinnati Bengals a loss; 36-10. The game was something of a quarterback duel on offense and the only touchdowns earned through the air. The Bengals found more success in the run game while the Steelers defense wreaked havoc. Neither team will look the same this week, however. The Steelers are dealing with a myriad of injuries and the Bengals lost their starting and primary backup quarterbacks. Both teams are coming off of losses as well. Here we’ll look at five Steelers players we feel will be guys to watch in this late-season divisional matchup as Pittsburgh tries to bounce back from a two-game losing streak and sweep the Bengals this season.
Leadership from key veterans
The Steelers have two key veteran leaders on both sides of the ball in Ben Roethlisberger and Cameron Heyward. Both of them spoke up following the loss in Week 14 to the Buffalo Bills. Neither veteran was happy with the outcome of the game and they both acknowledged that they played a responsibility in how the remainder of the team played. To get back on track for the remainder of the season, the Steelers will need Roethlisberger and Heyward to motivate and coach-up their teammates on the field.
“Whoever’s in there has to be responsible, and it’s up to the older guys to step up, as well, including myself,” Heyward said earlier this week. “We can sit up here and say it’s a young guy and he’s in a new position but as an older guy, we need to alleviate the pressure.”
“I’m going to do everything I can to get us back on track,” Roethlisberger said following the loss to the Bills. “Right now, we are not playing good football, and that starts with me. We all need to look in the mirror, and, like I said, it starts with me, and understand that we all need to be better.”
Inside duo on defense
With the Steelers’ depth at inside linebacker very thin, Avery Williamson and converted safety Marcus Allen were asked to shut down the middle of the field against the Bills. Williamson ended the game as the team’s leader in tackles with 11 (nine solo stops). Allen was right behind Williamson with eight tackles (five solo stops and one tackle for a loss).
With Cincinnati facing a tough decision as to who they will play at quarterback after Brandon Allen left the game against the Dallas Cowboys with a leg injury, they’re likely to turn to their run game to alleviate some of the pressure. The Bengals are hoping Allen can suit up against the Steelers but if he can’t they’ll turn to second-year quarterback Ryan Finley or Kevin Hogan off the practice squad.
Cincinnati was able to move the ball with their ground game early against Dallas. Unfortunately, Giovani Bernard, a veteran rusher who hadn’t lost a ball since his rookie season in 2013 (829 carries without a fumble; NFL’s longest streak by 317 carries and third-longest streak in the league over the last 30 years), coughed it up and the Cowboys recovered. On their next drive, Trayveon Williams lost the ball inside the red zone where Aldon Smith was able to scoop it and run for a 78-yard touchdown.
Williamson and Allen should get significant opportunities to be in positions to limit Bernard, who is both a threat in the run and receiving game, as well as Tyler Boyd and receivers in the slot and on short curl and slant routes.
Winning matchups, limiting conversions
This week, it isn’t easy to come up with just one more Steelers player to watch. With the offensive line in shambles due to injury, that will definitely be an area of focus. In fact, it may be one of the most worrisome squads for this Pittsburgh team as they enter the final stretch of the season. Maurkice Pouncey, David DeCastro, and Alejandro Villanueva will need to be at the top of their game while helping whichever young guy stands between and beside them; that includes winning individual matchups against the Bengals’ defensive line.
A.J. Green presents a threat, however, to put points on the scoreboard for the Bengals nearly every time he steps on the field. Green’s cohort, Tee Higgins, has 58 catches (third-most ever by a Bengals rookie). The Steelers are expecting to get Joe Haden back this week. Although the Steelers’ defensive backfield has been relatively solid, they can still use Haden’s experience to keep the Bengals offense from earning big chunk plays and setting the field for potential turnovers that would swing the momentum solidly in Pittsburgh’s favor.
The Bengals are currently ranked fourth in the NFL (and tied for fourth-most ever in the league since 1977 per the Elias Sports Bureau) in fourth-down conversions at 18 of 25 attempts. Haden can give the Steelers defense a boost this week in keeping those critical conversions off the record books and force Cincinnati to field their defense longer in order to stop Pittsburgh.
