Weekly Bold Prediction: Big Ben silences his naysayers against Cincy
I feel like this prediction could be a week ahead of itself, but I’m not entirely in tune with the Steelers running game yet… so I’m going to lean on the guy who is down on himself and taking a lot of criticism this past week, Ben Roethlisberger, to bounce back in a big way on Monday Night Football against the Cincinnati Bengals.
But why a week early?
It’s because I know the NFL will be all over the 2004 NFL Draft class storyline next week, when the Steelers play their final home game against the Indianapolis Colts and their new quarterback, Roethlisberger’s draft classmate Philip Rivers.
While that will still be a big story, it’s this week’s game which propels it into the spotlight.
Roethlisberger is ticked off about last week’s performance against the Buffalo Bills. The follow-up games are the ones where we see Big Ben go off, which will magnify the matchup between two of the longer-tenured players in the league in Week 16.
I also know Roethlisberger isn’t keen on overlooking any opponent either. Cincinnati is in Pittsburgh’s crosshairs as a 2-10-1 team that can help them cure all of their ailments. The same was true back in Week 10, after the Steelers had a three weeks of road trips against the Titans, Ravens, and Cowboys. At the tail end of that group of games, they were worn out and appeared to be susceptible to their then first loss of the season.
The Bengals entered that Week 10 game following a bye week, poised to spoil the Steelers perfect season. Fortunately, the Steelers weren’t ready for that to happen quite yet, starting slow but finishing strong with a 36-10 victory.
In that game the Steelers failed to run the ball effectively too – a storyline following them almost ever since, with James Conner leading the pack with 13 carries for 36 yards and the offense only gaining 44 rushing yards total.
However, it was Roethlisberger who shined, throwing for 333 yards and 4 touchdown passes on his way to recording a 110.1 quarterback rating… He hasn’t put up a 100-plus QB rating since..
It has been four games now that the Steelers franchise quarterback has lit up the stat sheet, which, corresponding with an eroding running game, has seen the Steelers offense get stagnant. I can’t say for certain that the Big Ben will put up the same type of numbers on Monday that he did in his first encounter with the Bengals, but it’s certainly possible. My gut tells me that the Steelers, who have not had any formal type of break in the action all season, could cycle in a number of players throughout the game, and especially late, should they seize the upper hand early on in the contest.
Roethlisberger isn’t one to want to leave the field, but his arm could use some rest heading into two games with major playoff implications against the Colts and Browns to close out the 2020 season. Business still needs to be handled Monday, however, as the Steelers find themselves a game behind the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC standings for the lone bye week berth.
The Chiefs will face the New Orleans Saints Sunday, in what could be the last game where the Steelers can get outside help to knock KC out of first place.
So no, the Steelers won’t be sitting everyone, but by the time we get to Monday, we’ll know if the Chiefs won or lost. The same will be known of the Cleveland Browns status – if they lose Sunday, the Steelers will have clinched the AFC North.
The only thing left to know is how much this game can impact the standings.
While some fans have suggested sitting everyone to get a makeshift bye week, I don’t think that’s the case here. Mike Tomlin will deploy a similar strategy as he did last time, with Mason Rudolph and Benny Snell entering the game for the Steelers final series.
Yet, a small move like that could go a long way for a worn-out Steelers squad facing a multitude of injuries. To get there, the team needs another big game by Roethlisberger.
I’m on board with Ben playing most of the game and attempting 35-40 passes – perhaps throwing in the 250-300 yards range with a 2-3 touchdowns. The offense will look sharper and critics will say its because they are playing Cincinnati. That shouldn’t be overlooked, but it’s the weaker opponent who the Steelers are playing at the right time in the season that will help them overcome a lot of their adversity heading into the final stretch.
Normally I would look at things such as a primetime game or playing on the road as a hindrance in righting the ship. But with a limited amount of fans permitted to attend the game at Paul Brown Stadium (and thinking a good portion could be Steelers fans) plus the Bengals relying on their backup or third string quarterback to start, it’s difficult for me to see anything but a bounce back game for Pittsburgh: and particularly, Big Ben Roethlisberger.
