Week 13 Steelers vs Bengals Preview
The Pittsburgh Steelers will face the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium this Sunday for Week 13 of the NFL regular season. The Bengals have a lot on the line heading into the game, as a Steelers victory would virtually end their hopes of making the playoffs. However, securing this victory is far easier said than done for the Steel City team, as their offense has recently been struggling to find the end zone, placing unnecessary and seemingly unmanageable pressure on the defense. The Bengals have also had a bye week to recoup and re-energize, and quarterback Joe Burrow knows he needs his best efforts to keep the Bengals alive this season, indicating that it will be a hard-fought game for the Pittsburgh team.
Though the Bengals’ record is currently 4-7, Burrow has had a strong season individually, attaining a quarterback rating of 75.6 throughout these 12 weeks — a statistic that places him within the top 10 in the league. Throughout Burrow’s history against the Steelers, he’s gone 3-2 and is likely looking for standout performances by wide receivers Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase to improve this record. Burrow has mastered the passing game, racking up 3,028 passing yards this season alone. His ability to consistently complete these passes and connect with wide receivers poses a significant threat to the already struggling Steelers’ defense as well as veteran Russell Wilson, the Steelers quarterback who has fallen short in recent weeks.
Wilson, though originally beating out Justin Fields for the starting quarterback position, has had some showings that have left fans wondering if Fields was the right choice. After an injury kept him sidelined for the first six weeks, Wilson came back strong for two games before struggling against the Ravens and the Browns in Weeks 11 and 12. Kicker Chris Boswell scored every point against the Ravens as Wilson floundered in the offense, averaging just under six yards per pass. While the quarterback did perform better against the Browns, he still struggled to find the end zone, only throwing a single touchdown the entire game. Heading into this match, it appears that Burrow is the stronger quarterback of the two, meaning that the pressure once again falls on the defense’s shoulders to secure the victory.
