Bengals at Steelers: Cincinnati Can Spoil Pittsburgh's Day

To get you ready for week 13, FanHouse is previewing all 16 NFL games. Here is your Bengals-Steelers preview.

2007 Records:

Cincinnati Bengals: 4-7 (T-3rd in AFC North)
Pittsburgh Steelers: 8-3 (1st in AFC North)

Last Week:

Bengals 35, Titans 6
Steelers 3, Dolphins 0

Why We Care: The records may be dramatically different, but the two teams are closer in talent than it would appear. The Bengals showed they haven't given up on the season by throttling the Titans last week while the Steelers waded through the muck for one of the most miserable games in recent memory. Cincinnati's playoff hopes may be over, but they can screw up the Steelers plans to win the AFC North with a win.


When the Steelers have the ball: The Steelers are without wide receiver Santonio Holmes and left tackle Marvel Smith, which will take away some of the Steelers big plays in the passing game. Hines Ward is a solid No. 2 receiver these days, but without Holmes to stretch the field, the Steelers will need a big game from fill-in Nate Washington. Washington is just as big and nearly as fast as Holmes, but he doesn't have the hands or route-running skills of last year's first-round pick. The Bengals' rightfully don't want to hear anyone else complain about injuries--Herana-Daze Jones just became the team's 11th player to go onto injured reserve. Because of all the injuries at linebacker, the Steelers should be able to get Willie Parker running wild for the first time in nearly a month.

When the Bengals have the ball: After watching the last couple of weeks it's fair to wonder how different the Bengals season would have been if Chris Henry hadn't been suspended for eight games. Since Henry returned, Cincinnati is 2-1 and Carson Palmer has thrown for at least 275 yards in all three games. Henry has given the Steelers trouble in the past, so expect the Bengals to try to spread the Steelers out, especially since Troy Polamalu will miss his second consecutive game.

The Edge: On paper the Steelers may be the clear favorites, but this game is a lot more dangerous for Pittsburgh than many people may realize. If the Bengals can shut down Willie Parker and the Steelers running game, it should be a long day for Pittsburgh, although a still sloppy field should negate some of the Bengals speed on offense.