Steelers to watch against the Bengals
The Pittsburgh Steelers enter Week 13 of the 2024 NFL regular season looking for a bounce back after their win streak ended against the Cleveland Browns last week. At 8-3, they still hold the top spot in the AFC North but will be on the road to face a Cincinnati Bengals team that wants to make the most out of their opportunities in December after a disappointing opening of their season. We look at five Steelers to watch in the upcoming divisional game.
Cam Heyward
When December rolls around, veteran players usually step up to express how important it is for their team to play at an even higher tempo that earlier in the season; they have experienced the determination it takes to finish out a season strong.
This week, he vocalized what will be necessary to beat the Bengals, saying,
“We have to bring four-man pressure, five-man pressure, whatever you do, you’ve got to get pressure on (Joe Burrow) because he is elite at extending plays, buying extra time. I talked about (Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase). If you give them a crease, they are going to make a big play.”
Heyward has been playing lights-out along the defensive front for Pittsburgh this season. Expect him to remain busy and involved when the Steelers defense is on the field.
“We’ve got to do a good job of rushing. Guys have to get off blocks, have to keep making moves. And then our defensive backs can’t sell out to stop the run because (Burrow will) dice you up.”
Russell Wilson
Although he, too, is a veteran, Wilson has never played AFC North teams in back to back to back weeks. His baptism by fire isn’t quite over, so he’ll be looking at improvement of his own at quarterback. The Steelers offense has struggled to get into the end zone, so keep an eye on how well Wilson is able to adjust to the pressure Cincinnati throws at him.
Russell Wilson speaks to the media on Wednesday, Nov. 27 ahead of the Steelers Week 13 game against the Bengals. @PondLehocky pic.twitter.com/1Coaw7PY7H
— Steelers Live (@SteelersLive) November 27, 2024
The offensive line
There have been struggles, at times, to keep Wilson or Justin Fields clean behind the line of scrimmage, and there have been moments where the run and short-yardage game has suffered due to breakdowns along the offensive line.
What is the solution at this point in the season? “We’ve just got to do a better job with (everyone being on the same page) because if we can get down in the red zone, we can push through the red zone,” tackle Broderick Jones expressed. “We know the talent we have, and we know what we’re capable of. We’ve just got to continue to get better in that aspect of football.”
The defensive backfield
The Bengals may not have won a lot of games, but they have the talent and ability to be explosive on offense. The Steelers’ defensive backfield has been tested, but they’ll need to be sticky in their coverage on Sunday.
“It’s going to take all 11 guys detailing their job and executing. It’s definitely going to take a full defensive effort because they have a lot of playmakers and a lot of home run hitters.” – Donte Jackson
One of the areas the defensive backs have to be cautious of in the upcoming game in Cincinnati is penalties. Chase is especially slippery on route execution, and that will require the backfield to play clean and maintain their assignments in order to prevent being blown up.
