Week 10 NFL Predictions: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals
Sunday, 11/13/11, 1:00 PM EST, TV: CBS
Opening Point Spread: Pittsburgh -3
Current Betting Line: Pittsburgh -3.5
Opening Total: 41.5
Current Total: 41
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker

The Pittsburgh Steelers will be facing a different Cincinnati Bengals' squad Sunday inside Paul Brown Stadium

Pittsburgh had its four-game winning streak snapped in suffering a 23-20 loss to the Baltimore Ravens as 3.5-point home favorites. The Steelers have won the statistical battle in seven of nine games and will now face another AFC North division opponent before enjoying a bye week. “We lost a very tough, close ballgame, highly contested,” commented Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin after last week’s loss to the Ravens. He comes in with a 6-2 mark against Cincinnati, including a 3-1 record inside Paul Brown Stadium. Pittsburgh is 7-7 ATS versus division opponents and the ‘over’ is 9-5 in those contests.

The Steelers have been airing it out more with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger this year, as he looks to become the first quarterback in franchise history to throw for at least 300 yards in four consecutive games. He is 29-9 in games within the division, including a 6-1 record in Cincinnati. Pittsburgh won both series meetings a year ago, posting a 27-21 victory as five-point road favorites inside this venue, holding Cincinnati to 462 combined offense yards in the two games.

Cincinnati is tied atop the division with Baltimore and comes off a 24-17 win over the Tennessee Titans as three-point road underdogs. The Bengals come in as very confident squad, winning five straight games, while outscoring opponents by a 126-59 margin in the second half. “The fourth quarter is like the first for us, we still have that energy,” stated Bengals defensive tackle Domato Peko. With 140 points allowed at the season’s halfway point, the Bengals are on pace to allow 280 for the season, which would be the franchise-best for a 16-game season. Cincinnati is 9-11 ATS at home over the last two-plus campaigns.

The Bengals actually bring in the better rush defense into this matchup, ranking second in the league in giving up just 84.5 yards per game. Cincinnati will present numerous problems for Roethlisberger on Sunday, surrendering just eight passing touchdowns, which is tied for third-fewest in the league. Offensively, rookie Andy Dalton is getting the job done, managing to connect on 12 scoring passes and throwing just seven interceptions. The team isn’t overly explosive, averaging just 316.3 yards per game, but rookie wide receiver A.J. Green is capable of making big plays on the outside.