Bengals-Steelers Opinion Bengals +9 at Steelers
Analysis: Sure the Bengals are more about characters than character. They are a dead team losers of nine in a row. But if there's one game the Bengals will get up for, it's this one. The Bengals hate the Steelers.
Cincinnati has the talent to win this matchup straight-up. The Bengals defeated the Steelers twice last season on their way to capturing the AFC North. Cedric Benson does his best running during December. He's had 11 100-yard rushing performances for Cincinnati, four of which came in December.
Cincinnati played the Steelers tough in Week 9 losing 27-21. The Bengals missed two field goals in that game along with having a punt blocked.
Pittsburgh stole a win against Baltimore this past Sunday night in a brutal, hard-hitting matchup. As gutless as they are, the Bengals should be the more motivated team.
It's asking too much of Pittsburgh to cover this large of a number against what should be an aroused division foe considering the Steelers' many injuries. They are missing their best offensive tackles, star defensive end Aaron Smith, punter Daniel Sepulveda and it's highly unlikely tight end Heath Miller can play after suffering a concussion against the Ravens.
Scoring should be down in this matchup considering the weather conditions, which also is a plus for Cincinnati taking this many points. There's a 90 percent chance of rain with snow expected. Footing is normally bad at Heinz Field in good conditions. A cold December game with rain/snow is going to make footing treacherous.
The Bengals are best when the pressure is off, which it is in this matchup. Cincinnati has covered 63 percent the last 19 times when taking points.
