When the Cincinnati Bengals make the quick trip east to play the Pittsburgh Steelers this Sunday, the game itself might not carry much weight. The Bengals currently hold comfortable lead in the AFC North and the teams will meet again in December. But what the game represents certainly does matter.
The Bengals aren’t playing second fiddle to the Steelers anymore
The Bengals are likely here to stay, and they’re looking to prove it against the AFC North rival Steelers on Sunday.
For years, Andy Dalton, Marvin Lewis and the rest of the team have been trolling in the shadows of the Steelers (as well as the Ravens). Even in those seasons that ended in playoff berths and AFC North titles, Cincinnati always disappointed with a one-and-done appearance in the postseason, leaving fans yearning for more.
That’s all changed this year, or at least it has through seven weeks of games. The Bengals are 6-0. The Steelers are 4-3. We’re not even halfway through the season and the AFC North, consistently one of football’s more grueling divisions, appears to be wrapped up.
How did we get here?
The Bengals are a complete team
Andy Dalton, always viewed as the weak link holding back an otherwise well-rounded football team, is leading the NFL in QBR and leading an offense ranked No. 1 in the league by Football Outsiders. It's a unit that has A.J. Green, still a matchup nightmare and one of the best receivers in the NFL, but also now a dangerous tight end and superb red-zone target in Tyler Eifert. Dalton gets to hand the ball to the dynamic Jeremy Hill, and all this takes place behind an offensive line that refuses to allow its quarterback to ever get touched.
Cincinnati’s defense, meanwhile, continues to do solid work thanks to a healthy and resurgent Geno Atkins. The special teams take care of business and doesn’t make mistakes.
The Bengals don’t do anything poorly and now they have an offense that can match blows with anyone. That’s why they’re undefeated, that’s why they’re a team that everyone now takes seriously, one set to grab the baton of the AFC North, and perhaps even the conference.
The Steelers are still finding their way
Ben Roethlisberger is expected to return to the field after missing four games with a knee injury. But if he's not ready, his backup's backup Landry Jones will instead line up under center once again for the Steelers. The fact that the Steelers are 4-3 despite losing Roethlisberger so early and then Mike Vick not too long after is actually a good sign for the overall strength of the team. But those losses are huge in the scope of the division.
The Steelers won two of the three games Roethlisberger played in, falling only to the New England Patriots. The offense was smooth and effective in those games, even while running back Le'Veon Bell sat out due to a suspension. With Vick under center, the Steelers lost one game, won one game and then won the game in which he gave way to Jones -- against a strong Arizona Cardinals team. That's more than any team really could have asked out of a backup quarterback, let alone a third-stringer.
Against all odds, the Steelers rank 13th in the league in offense. That says a lot about the team around the quarterback, but Roethlisberger is going to be rusty against the Bengals. Defensively, the Steelers won't be able to offer Roethlisberger much assistance. They rank 25th in the league in total defense, but rank seventh in points allowed. They have a talented team, but a bad loss against the Kansas City Chiefs in their last game hangs over their heads.
Sunday’s showdown in Pittsburgh won’t teach us much
Right now, a Bengals loss would be a major upset. It would mean that Dalton had reverted to many of his old habits, such as wild throws and poor awareness. It would mean that Arthur Moats and Cameron Heyward and Ryan Shazier and the rest of Pittsburgh's surprisingly vicious defensive front had succeeded in something that no team had all year -- beating the Bengals' offensive line.
It would mean that the Bengals have tightened up at the very moments that they needed to be loose.
But this year’s Bengals team is unlike ones from years past, and chances are this week’s game will show everyone just how far Lewis’ crew has climbed. With Big Ben under center -- or, more accurately, lining up in shotgun -- the Steelers can beat anyone. That hasn’t changed. What has is that they are no longer the only team in the division that can do so. The Bengals have arrived. Sunday’s showdown against a divisional rival will be further proof.
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