by Chuck Sommers
Friday, Sep 09, 2022
Game time: 1 p.m. ET
Venue: Paycor Stadium, Cincinnati, OH
Where to watch: CBS
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Bengals -6.5
FanDuel: Bengals -6.5
BetMGM: Bengals -6.5
Caesars: Bengals -6.5
2021 season record
Steelers: 9-7-1 (lost AFC Wild Card 42-21 vs. Chiefs)
Bengals: 10-7 (lost Super Bowl LVI vs. Rams)
A new NFL season is here and what a start we're off to with Buffalo going to the champs' house and knocking them in the mouth. What can we expect when the full slate of games gets rolling on Sunday? Only one way to find out: Get to bigal.com and check out what our champion handicappers are thinking heading into these matchups, and also get the right amount in your pocket for your winnings.
Steelers - Bengals preview, analysis and prediction
It’s real. The turnover in the AFC North, and possibly the AFC, has finally happened. The Cincinnati Bengals are the cream of the crop right now and the teams trying to represent the conference in the Super Bowl now have to find a way to dethrone … the Bengals. It’s so weird to say.
The reigning AFC champions begin an important campaign in not just the development of the franchise, but the thought of Joe Burrow becoming one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. He and his Bengals teammates take that next step on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers, now moving on from the Ben Roethlisberger era, which is also weird to think of.
But we’re at the point now where we need to discuss the future of the AFC North going between the Bengals and Baltimore Ravens. Perhaps when the Steelers get it together for the future with Kenny Pickett, we can revisit this situation.
As of now, though, it will be Mitch Trubisky getting the start for the Steelers in Week 1. Which if you had that on your offseason bingo card, kudos to you.
This should, honestly, be a moment where we praise Trubisky for how he’s handled things since being drafted by the Chicago Bears No. 2 overall a few years ago. He’s had to go through the growing pains, and things didn’t pan out in Chicago. He goes to Buffalo, backs up Josh Allen, and now finds himself with a starting job for Week 1 with the most talent he’s ever had as a starting quarterback.
“I had a really good camp. I came in here with a lot of experience, showed I could lead a team, showed I’ve been playing really well and throwing the football really well,” said Trubisky, the No. 2 overall pick in 2017. “Now we go out there and execute on the field.”
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said the group is “comfortable” with what Trubisky has shown the Steelers in camp. Whether or not that can translate to the kind of talent expected from a quarterback of his caliber remains to be seen.
As of publish time, though, the Steelers have Pro Bowl receiver Diontae Johnson limited to a shoulder injury, and his status is up in the air. There’s still Chase Claypool, but the Steelers are reeling a bit with the options they have on offense to especially take the pressure off Najee Harris.
The Bengals don’t have to worry about such things. There’s a new era in Cincy with Burrow coming within one quarter of bringing the first Super Bowl ever to Cincinnati. He’s already developed the professional connection with former LSU teammate Ja’Marr Chase with 1,455 yards in his rookie season. On top of Tee Higgins catching a career-high 74 passes for 1,091 yards last year, Burrow has a 1-2 connection some young quarterbacks could wish for.
Staying atop the division will be tough. The Bengals won their first playoff game in almost 30 years, a home win against the Las Vegas Raiders in the wild card round, then followed that with an upset win over the Tennessee Titans in the divisional round. And if that wasn’t any better, going into Kansas City against the premier team of this generation and beating Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in a come-from-behind win in the AFC Title game.
“That’s what we strive to work for this year, to get back,” fourth-year coach Zac Taylor said.
Not only have the Bengals improved on the field, but they’ve been a great bet on the books. Cincy has stayed a steady 6.5-point favorites since opening at most books. The Bengals are 23-14 ATS in all games the past three years and even 6-4 as a home favorite in their last 10.
The Steelers have held firm as a .500 group ATS the last three years, being 7-6 ATS as a road underdog, while 10-6 overall as an underdog.
But those numbers came with Roethlisberger at the helm. Things are different this time around.
Prediction
Who knows if the Bengals are going to dominate this division this year? It might happen, and one way to do that is to surely vanquish the dragon for good. The Steelers are going to be an intriguing look, but the Bengals are going to have a fired-up crowd all year. When that crowd gets going, it’s hard to play. And that will show easy when Burrow and co. light them up. Bengals win by 17
Betting trends
Steelers are 16-10 ATS against conference opponents the past three years.
Steelers are 8-5 ATS against division opponents the past three years.
Bengals are 23-14 ATS in their last 37 overall.
2021 statistical leaders
Steelers
Passing: Ben Roethlisberger -- 3,740 yards, 22 TD, 10 INT
Rushing: Najee Harris -- 1,200 yards, 7 TD
Receiving: Diontae Johnson -- 1,161 yards, 8 TD
Defense: T.J. Watt -- 22.5 sacks
Bengals
Passing: Joe Burrow -- 4,811 yards, 34 TD, 14 INT
Rushing: Joe Mixon -- 1,205 yards, 13 TD
Receiving: Ja'Marr Chase -- 1,455 yards, 13 TD
Defense: Trey Hendrickson -- 14 sacks
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
