Primer: Cincinnati Bengals (6-2) at Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2)

by Josh Kirkendall on Nov 11, 2009 10:01 AM EST in Primer

Game: Cincinnati Bengals (6-2) at Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2)
Series Leader: Pittsburgh Steelers, 47-31
Streak: Steelers have won five of the past six and 14 of the past 19
Coaches vs. Opponent: Lewis: 4-10. Tomlin: 4-1
Broadcast: CBS (1:00 PM ET): Jim Nantz, Phil Simms. Westwood One Radio: Howard David, Dan Reeves. SIRIUS: 147 (Cin.), 123 (Pit.). XM: 105 (Pit.).
SB Nation: Behind the Steel Curtain
NFL.com: Game Center
Weather: Mostly cloudy with a high of 62. [Weather.com]
Uniform: White
Television Coverage: All of Ohio and many surrounding states, additional Midwest and West Coast coverage. Click on the link. [506]

Cincinnati Bengals

Dating back to December 14, 2008, the Cincinnati Bengals have won nine of the past 11 games.
Bengals look to win consecutive games against the Pittsburgh Steelers for the first time since 1998.
When a running back rushes the football 25 times or more under the Marvin Lewis era, the Bengals are 26-1.
In his past six games against Pittsburgh, Carson Palmer has completed 120 of 214 passes for 1,242 yards with 11 touchdowns and two interceptions -- 86.2 passer rating.
Cedric Benson looks to rush for 100 yards or more in his third consecutive games. Benson is averaging 106.2 yards rushing per game when he rushes 20 times or more; his teams are 11-1-1 when rushing 20 times or more.
In his past four games, Chad Ochocinco is averaging 95.3 yards receiving per game.
Defense has recorded eight interceptions in the past four games.
Johnathan Joseph recorded a pick-six in last game against the Steelers. With four interceptions this year, Joseph needs only one more interception to surpass his career-high in 2007.
Leon Hall has four interceptions in the past four games and looks to record an interception in his third straight game. Hall needs one more interception to tie a career-high.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Mike Tomlin is 7-0 versus the AFC North at home.
Dating back to November 16, 2008, the Steelers have won eight straight games at home.
In his past three games against Cincinnati, Ben Roethlisberger has completed 56 of 89 passes for 735 yards with four touchdowns and an interception (99.2 passer rating).
The Steelers are 33-2, including the playoffs, when Roethlisberger has a passer rating of 100 or better.
Rashard Mendenhall rushed for 150 yards or more twice this season.
Willie Parker has four 100-yard rushing games against the Bengals
In four home games this year, Hines Ward has three 100-yard receiving games this year.
In his last game against Cincinnati, Mike Wallace set a career high in receptions (7) and yards receiving (102).
Tyrone Carter tied a career high with two interceptions last week, including a 48-yard pick-six.
Troy Polamalu has three interceptions in four games this year. The Steelers are 16-3 when Polamalu has an interception.

TEAM RANKINGS

Offense	Bengals	Steelers
Total	348.8 (12th)	382.0 (5th)
Scoring	22.5 (t-16th)	24.4 (13th)
Third Downs	42% (11th)	45% (5th)
Passing	218.8 (18th)	266.8 (5th)
Passing TDs	14 (t-10th)	15 (9th)
Rushing	130.0 (9th)	115.2 (15th)
Rushing TDs	7 (t-13th)	6 (t-18th)
Sacks Allowed	12 (t-4th)	23 (24th)
20-yard Passes	22 (16th)	31 (t-5th)

Defense	Bengals	Steelers
Total	325.5 (14th)	284.9 (5th)
Scoring	16.9 (5th)	17.4 (6th)
3rd Downs Allowed	37% (14th)	42% (26th)
Passing	241.6 (25th)	214.5 (14th)
Passing TDs	10 (t-11th)	9 (t-8th)
Rushing	83.9 (2nd)	70.4 (1st)
Rushing TDs	4 (t-7th)	2 (t-1st)
Sacks	10 (t-11th)	9 (t-8th)
QB Rating	81.6 (11th)	77.2 (8th)
20-Yard Passes Allowed	27 (25th)	18 (t-9th)
Interceptions	10 (6th)	8 (t-10th)

Special Teams	Bengals	Steelers
Kickoff Return	19.2 (31st)	25.0 (6th)
Punt Return	12.4 (5th)	6.8 (23rd)
Punting (Net)	37.6 (19th)	40.1 (t-7th)
Punts Inside the 20	13 (t-14th)	13 (t-14th)

2009 STATISTICAL INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS

Carson Palmer	Stat	Ranking
Quarterback Rating	89.5	t-12th
Yards Passing	1,832	16th
Touchdowns	14	t-9th
First Downs	93	t-13th
Average Yards/Att	7.0	t-15th
Completions	160	15th
Interceptions	7	t-17th
Times Sacked	12	t-9th

Cedric Benson	Stat	Ranking
Yards Rushing	837	2nd
Attempts / Game	24.8	1st
Touchdowns	6	t-7th
First Downs	35	t-4th

Chad Ochocinco	Stat	Ranking
Receptions	44	t-11th
Yards Receiving	639	8th
Touchdowns	5	t-10th
20-yard receptions	10	t-4th
First Downs	33	t-8th

CAREER AGAINST THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS

Carson Palmer

Date	Result	Comp	Att	Yards	TDs	INTs
9.27.09	W, 23-20	20	37	183	1	0
12.02.07	L, 10-24	17	44	183	0	0
10.28.07	L, 13-24	23	31	205	1	0
12.31.06	L, 17-23	20	38	251	2	0
9.24.06	W, 28-20	18	26	193	4	2
12.4.05	W, 38-31	22	38	227	3	0
10.23.05	L, 13-27	21	36	227	0	2
11.21.04	L, 14-19	13	25	165	2	1
10.3.04	L, 17-28	20	37	164	1	2

Chad Johnson

Date	Rec	Yards	TDs
9.27.09	5	54	0
10.19.08	8	52	1
12.02.07	6	86	0
10.28.07	5	51	0
12.31.06	4	53	0
9.24.06	1	11	0
12.4.05	5	54	0
10.23.05	4	94	0
11.21.04	5	80	1
10.3.04	4	54	0
11.30.03	6	117	1
9.21.03	4	77	0
11.24.02	7	152	0
10.13.02	7	71	0
12.30.01	2	25	0
10.07.01	5	52	0

* Chad didn't play in the second game against the Steelers after he was declared inactive because of insubordination.

Laveranues Coles

Date	Rec	Yards	TDs
9.27.09	5	34	0
11.18.07	1	56	0
11.28.04	6	55	0
12.9.01	3	20	0
10.8.2000	1	18	0

Chris Henry

Date	Rec.	Yards	TDs
9.27.09	1	19	0
11.20.08	2	25	0
10.19.08	3	44	0
12.2.07	2	31	0
12.31.06	4	124	1
9.24.06	5	69	2
12.4.05	5	52	0
10.23.05	0	0	0

Cedric Benson

Date	Rush	Yards	TDs
9.27.09	16	76	1
11.20.08	16	35	0
10.19.08	14	52	0

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Comments

Oh my goodness

I can’t wait for this game.

We’re going to light you up.

A question: The Chris Henry stats are apropos of what? How about his backup? I don’t even know who that is.

Guns don't kill people. Lamar Woodley kills people. (mattyc_77 on twitter)

by BostonWahoo on Nov 11, 2009 10:52 AM EST reply actions

Also a sub-question to my original thought:

With Henry out, does that put more of a focus on a quick-hit game for the Bengals? Are the tight ends going to be more involved, Benson out of the backfield? Its my impression that it should limit the vertical game quite a bit, seeing as Ike Taylor has historically done a decent job at staying on Ocho in man-up situations, and for the type of receiver he is, Chad’s had very few excellent games against the Steerlers. From your stats, I see only 3 out of 16 games with 7+ receptions, and only 6 out of 16 with 75+ yards. So the focus goes to the other side of the field, where I think Coles matches up ok with Gay (advantage you guys, but not a huge one), and your other “outlet” receivers/ends/backs.

So I am wondering what you see inthe game plan for the short passing game.

Guns don't kill people. Lamar Woodley kills people. (mattyc_77 on twitter)

by BostonWahoo on Nov 11, 2009 10:59 AM EST up reply actions

to be honest, out side of being a decoy, he’s been used very little. 240 yards receiving is skewed by a 75 yard catch. Take that out, and he has 11 catches for 165 yards…underwhelming for a deep threat in 8 games.

The offense is built around the power run game. They’ve used a lot of 6-lineman packages to either run the ball or max protect.

Benson hasn’t really been used out of the backfield. That role has been filled quite admirably by Brian Leonard (4th and 10 sound familiar?). Andre Caldwell has done a nice job catching the underneath passes, and one JP Foschi is starting to see a couple underneath passes as well. One of the bigger surprises this year has been Chad going over the middle. Coles is just starting to get good game chemistry with Palmer, and is used in the slot almost as much as out wide.

I really don’t see our scatback getting much play as Lebeau’s scheme typically seals off the corners. Expect to see an extra O-Lineman line up at TE in an unbalanced Line with Benson running btwn the tackles. I know how well Pittsburgh plays against the run, but so do the ravens. So the Bengals must be doing something right in the ground game. They’ll try to impose their wills, we’ll see how it all works out.

For you, has Ben used as much 4 and 5 wide sets as he was earlier this year, or do you think Arians is trying to incorporate more i-formation plays with Mendenhall establishing himself????

3 yards and a pile of dust

by Hudepohl Dey on Nov 11, 2009 11:44 AM EST up reply actions

With Carey Davis out, the primary FB role is played by David Johnson, our terrific blocking rookie TE. He’s pretty good, but the bulk of the running will be out of a 3WR/1TE set or the 2/2 sets that they use. The days of Dan Krieder leveling LBs in front of the Bus are long gone and Arians seems content with only occasional I-Formation or ProSet plays. We did a breakdown on BTSC a few weeks ago and the number of 3/4/5 WR sets is just tremendous these days.

Mendy seems to be getting more patient with finding and hitting holes as the season progresses so its less necessary to lead him now than it would have been earlier in the season.

Guns don't kill people. Lamar Woodley kills people. (mattyc_77 on twitter)

by BostonWahoo on Nov 11, 2009 11:51 AM EST up reply actions

I have to give it to ya on this one, but she dont beat our cheerlaeder

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CB85......Collaros for Heisman

by TennBengalfan on Nov 11, 2009 1:44 PM EST up reply actions

We win!!!

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CB85......Collaros for Heisman

by TennBengalfan on Nov 11, 2009 1:03 PM EST up reply actions

Of course

Who wants to talk about the game when we can sling insulting pictures we found on the internet. Very nice. Enjoy your loss on Sunday.

Guns don't kill people. Lamar Woodley kills people. (mattyc_77 on twitter)

by BostonWahoo on Nov 11, 2009 1:05 PM EST up reply actions

lighten up

you must be worried

by featherman on Nov 11, 2009 1:12 PM EST up reply actions

yea lighten up!! this will cheer us all up ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgfWxDDdcvs

CB85......Collaros for Heisman

by TennBengalfan on Nov 11, 2009 2:38 PM EST up reply actions

GOOOOD GOOOOOD

CB85......Collaros for Heisman

by TennBengalfan on Nov 11, 2009 2:39 PM EST up reply actions

ehhh

its fun to me, your boys started it last game. plus you guys should be worried we always play better at Heinz and we unbeaten on the road

CB85......Collaros for Heisman

by TennBengalfan on Nov 11, 2009 1:14 PM EST up reply actions

plus you interupted this picture

CB85......Collaros for Heisman

by TennBengalfan on Nov 11, 2009 1:14 PM EST up reply actions

I love Cincinnati

cant find this over there in that hole

CB85......Collaros for Heisman

by TennBengalfan on Nov 11, 2009 1:17 PM EST up reply actions

we got the hottest cheerleaders

CB85......Collaros for Heisman

by TennBengalfan on Nov 11, 2009 1:19 PM EST up reply actions

there's debate of who will take his place.

Jerome Simpson is still developing, but could be activated. Maurice Purify is a possibility.

I’m hoping they activate our rookie TE Chase Coffman, who saw 99% of his college snaps split out wide or in the slot.

3 yards and a pile of dust

by Hudepohl Dey on Nov 11, 2009 10:59 AM EST up reply actions

Why hasn't Coffman seen more playing time?

I liked him coming out of Missouri. Is he just a bad blocker or not mentally ready?

by StoneColdSteel on Nov 11, 2009 9:08 PM EST up reply actions

the former

He’s not ready to be a blocking TE. He never needed to at Mizzou, and it’d be too easy to key into our playcalling if we threw Coffman out there at TE. If we were to split him wide, that’d be one thing, but… yeah. Steelers don’t need us helping them out on defense for sure.

"If it wasn't this, it'd be something else."

by ZJiff30 on Nov 11, 2009 9:12 PM EST up reply actions

CB85......Collaros for Heisman

by TennBengalfan on Nov 11, 2009 12:56 PM EST up reply actions

goin all day

CB85......Collaros for Heisman

by TennBengalfan on Nov 11, 2009 1:16 PM EST reply actions

Payback for this is coming!!!!!

CB85......Collaros for Heisman

by TennBengalfan on Nov 11, 2009 1:21 PM EST reply actions

last one for a while

CB85......Collaros for Heisman

by TennBengalfan on Nov 11, 2009 1:30 PM EST up reply actions

Ok…now let’s see yours. Oh…right…

Wall of Shame
"I’m glad we play Pitt twice, and not Tenn this year." - Salty Browns Fan.
"BB is ok (slightly overated)…but he is NO Kyle Orton! I’ll take Kyle over Ben any day" - Bronco_Fan_Tom

by John Stephens on Nov 11, 2009 1:33 PM EST reply actions

get some new material noobie

CB85......Collaros for Heisman

by TennBengalfan on Nov 11, 2009 1:36 PM EST up reply actions

we all know you are drunks, you dont have to show us

CB85......Collaros for Heisman

by TennBengalfan on Nov 11, 2009 1:41 PM EST up reply actions

Why would I when it is the perfect knock out punch?

Wall of Shame
"I’m glad we play Pitt twice, and not Tenn this year." - Salty Browns Fan.
"BB is ok (slightly overated)…but he is NO Kyle Orton! I’ll take Kyle over Ben any day" - Bronco_Fan_Tom

by John Stephens on Nov 11, 2009 1:43 PM EST up reply actions

not really....

they used it last game, make it fun!!!

CB85......Collaros for Heisman

by TennBengalfan on Nov 11, 2009 1:45 PM EST up reply actions

It’s not? Is there another ultimate purpose of playing all these football games that I don’t know about?

Wall of Shame
"I’m glad we play Pitt twice, and not Tenn this year." - Salty Browns Fan.
"BB is ok (slightly overated)…but he is NO Kyle Orton! I’ll take Kyle over Ben any day" - Bronco_Fan_Tom

by John Stephens on Nov 11, 2009 1:46 PM EST up reply actions

yea you dont get it

CB85......Collaros for Heisman

by TennBengalfan on Nov 11, 2009 1:47 PM EST up reply actions

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CB85......Collaros for Heisman

by TennBengalfan on Nov 11, 2009 1:54 PM EST up reply actions

hahaha

CB85......Collaros for Heisman

by TennBengalfan on Nov 11, 2009 1:38 PM EST up reply actions

Kiss da baby

CB85......Collaros for Heisman

by TennBengalfan on Nov 11, 2009 1:58 PM EST up reply actions

ok im done, before i piss off Josh

at least I’m not trolling though

CB85......Collaros for Heisman

by TennBengalfan on Nov 11, 2009 1:56 PM EST reply actions

oooooooooo i found some really bad ones....

but i wont post em on josh’s site, here is a link if anybody wants a giggle
http://media.photobucket.com/image/steelers+gay/Boupper/steelers_suck3.jpg?o=15 dude has alot of Steeler Hate

CB85......Collaros for Heisman

by TennBengalfan on Nov 11, 2009 2:04 PM EST reply actions

What would this game mean if Cincy didn't luck out on the first game?

I didn’t get to see the whole game, but think the general consensus is that Pittsburgh outplayed them on the field, but not the scoreboard. It’s a good thing for Cincy they squeaked out that game or we wouldn’t have so much hype for this one.

I can’t wait to see the look on the Cincy players’ faces at the end of this game when they are beaten down and demoralized. Benson and 85 will both get a good snack down at least once in this game.

by Spike-U on Nov 14, 2009 11:06 AM EST reply actions