Bengals: What are the Chances...?

This is a very difficult game to project. The Steelers, a 7-point favorite, are expected to win, but there are plenty of reasons to think that Cincy will prevail. Not only has Pittsburgh played poorly in recent weeks, Cincinnati is coming off its best game of the season, a 35-6 drubbing of Tennessee. And the Bengals have had success in Pittsburgh in recent years, winning three of the past four meetings at Heinz Field. Moreover, with WR Santonio Holmes out--and LT Marvel Smith likely out too--Pittsburgh could have trouble keeping up with the Bengals’ high-powered offense (5th in the NFL). Of course, Pittsburgh won the first meeting of the year, but back then our defense did not have to contend with Cincy’s full complement of wideouts. Now that Chris Henry is back from suspension, it could be a lot more difficult to defend the Bengals’ passing game. And having played on Monday night, the Steelers have had less time to prepare than the Bengals, and preparation time differential has been a factor in other Steelers’ games this season.

On the plus side, the Steelers are still undefeated at Heinz Field this year (6-0), while the Bengals are 1-4 on the road. And a sloppy track/bad weather would seem to work in Pittsburgh’s favor. But until Pittsburgh shows signs of coming out of its funk on offense, it’s difficult to pick the Steelers. We’d love to be wrong on this, but "What are the Chances…?" is giving the Steelers a 45 percent chance of defeating the Bengals.

"What are the Chances…?" is 9-2 this season and 22-5 all-time.