Steelers vs. Bengals Prediction: Trust Mike Tomlin's Squad to Keep Things Close
By Josh Yourish
So, the Cincinnati Bengals own the AFC North now? It looked that way last year when the Bengals won the division and swept the Pittsburgh Steelers for the first time in well over a decade.
Now, Week 1 the Steelers and Mitch Trubisky head to Cincy to face Joe Burrow and the Bengals coming off of a Super Bowl appearance last year.
Will Burrow’s Bengals own the AFC North once more or Mike Tomlin’s revamped squad pull off another Week 1 upset?
Steelers vs. Bengals Odds, Spread and Total
Steelers vs. Bengals Odds Movement in NFL Week 2
Earlier in the week the spread was at 6.5 and I was dying for it to move to 7.0 or 7.5 so I could get the touchdown, but it has not moved yet. Potentially the public could come in late and take the Bengals because of the familiarity from last season, but I wouldn’t count on it.
Steelers vs. Bengals Best Bet and Prediction
I said it earlier in the week and I’ll say it again. This is a classic Mike Tomlin spot. He did the same thing last year. Everyone is down on the Steelers thinking they are going to lose 10 games, which they never do, and those same people are hyping up the new shiny object.
Except instead of the Buffalo Bills last year, it’s the Bengals this year. These are the classic games that Tomlin just finds a way to win regardless if his quarterback is Big Ben, Duck Hodges from 2019, or the corpse of Big Ben last year.
There are some red flags for the Bengals. Joe Burrow had to have an appendectomy in the preseason and did not play at all. I don’t believe the preseason is necessary for players, but remember when Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers stunk it up Week 1 last year against the New Orleans Saints. It is the same kind of thing.
Also since the year 2000 half of the Super Bowl losers failed to make the playoffs the next season. I still don’t trust Zac Taylor as a coach. I think the Bengals made it to the Super Bowl because of Burrow and largely in spite of Taylor.
Earlier in the week I was leaning towards taking the Steelers against the spread, but at this point, I think I’d be willing to take them on the moneyline. I love a lot of underdogs in Week 1, and you can join me out on that limb if you’d like, but my official advice is Steelers with the points.
Pick: Steelers +6.5 (-110)
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