NFL Week 6 Primer: Cincinnati Bengals (4-1) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2-1)

No matter how good the Bengals are, how they play against the Steelers is their biannual barometer of true success. Through five weeks this year the Bengals are sitting in the sweet spot of second in the AFC, but there are still experts and even fans who don’t believe this team is capable of making a playoff run. Their first meeting with the Steelers this week should tell us a lot about whether or not we should start labeling this team as an actual contender or not.

Here is everything you need to know for when the Bengals take on the Steelers:

Game: Cincinnati Bengals (4-1) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2-1)

Date/Time: Oct. 14th, 2018 at 1:00 p.m. EST

Location: Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, OH

Streaming: Fubo TV

Series Leader: Steelers lead the series 60-35

Streak: The Steelers have won the past five games

Coaches vs. Opponent: Marvin Lewis: (8-22) vs. Mike Tomlin (17-5)

TV Broadcast: The game will air on CBS-TV. In the Bengals’ home region, it will be carried by WKRC-TV (Ch. 12) in Cincinnati, WHIO-TV (Ch. 7) in Dayton and on WKYT-TV (Ch. 27) in Lexington. Broadcasters are Ian Eagle (play-byplay), Dan Fouts (analyst) and Evan Washburn (sideline reporter).

Radio Broadcast: The game will air on the Bengals Radio Network, led by Cincinnati flagship stations WLW-AM (700), WCKY-AM (ESPN 1530; all sports) and WEBN-FM (102.7). Broadcasters are Dan Hoard (play-by-play) and Dave Lapham (analyst).

SB Nation Steelers site: Behind the Steel Curtain

Weather: Mid 80’s, mostly cloudy [NFL weather]

Odds: Bengals, -3 [Odds Shark]

Bengals Notes

• Quarterback Andy Dalton aims for third in row against Pittsburgh with over two touchdown passes. In his past seven games at home, Dalton has 1,583 passing yards (226.1 per game) with 13 touchdowns and only three picks for a 93.3 rating. He aims for his fifth in a row vs the AFC North with over two touchdown and no interceptions. In his past six against the AFC North, Dalton has 17 touchdown passes and only two interceptions for a 102.9 rating. He has over a 95 rating in three of the past four against the division.

• Running back Joe Mixon had 115 scrimmage yards (93 rushing and 22 receiving) with a touchdown catch last week. He has over 100 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown in two of his past his three games. In his past two at home, Mixon has 202 scrimmage yards (101 per game) and a touchdown catch. In his past four vs. the division, he has 391 scrimmage yards (97.8 per game) and a rushing touchdown.
• Wide receiver A.J. Green had six catches for 112 yards last week. He had 77 receiving yards and two touchdowns in his last meeting with Pittsburgh. He has four touchdown catches in his past five against the Steelers. He has 685 receiving yards (85.6 per game) and sevem touchdowns in his past eight at home. Green is one of two players (Cooper Kupp) with over 400 receiving yards (409) and five touchdown catches in 2018. Wide receiver Tyler Boyd had over 100 receiving yards in two of his past three.
• Defensive tackle Geno Atkins had two sacks last week. He has three sacks in his past two games. He aims for his third game in a row at home with at least two sacks. Atkins is tied for the league-lead with 6 sacks. Defensive end Michael Johnson had a 22-yard interception returned for a touchdown, and rookie defensive end Sam Hubbard had a 19-yard fumble returned for a touchdown last week, it was the first-career touch downs for both players.

Steelers Notes

• Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger passed for 250 yards with three touchdowns and one interception for a 112.7 rating last week. He has at least three touchdown passes in three of his past four. In his past eight against the Bengals, Roethlisberger has 2,270 pass yards (283.8 per game) with 14 touchdowns and eight interceptions for a 90 rating. He had at least a 90 rating in two of the past three meetings. In his past eight divisional games, he has 2,387 pass yards (298.4 per game) with 14 touchdown passes and nine interceptions. He leads the AFC and ranks third in the NFL with 1,664 passing yards
• Running back James Conner rushed for 110 yards with two touchdowns and had four catches for 75 yards last week. He has joined Hall of Famer Jim Brown (1963) as only player with multiple games with 100 rushing yards, 50 receiving yards and two rushing touchdowns in the team’s first five games of the season. He has 287 scrimmage yards (143.5 per game) and two rushing touchdowns in his past two games on the road.
• Wide receiver Antonio Brown had six catches for 101 yards and two touchdowns last week. He has 11 career games with over 100 receiving yards and two touchdown catches, which is the most among active NFL players. He aims for third in row against the Bengals with a touchdown catch. Wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster had a touchdown catch last week. He aims for his third in row on the road with at least 110 receiving yards
• Linebacker T.J. Watt had eight tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble last week. He is the only player with multiple three sack games in 2018. He is tied for the league-lead with six sacks (Geno Atkins and J.J. Watt). Defensive tackle Cameron Heyward had 1.5 sacks last week. He has 5.5 sacks in his past seven games. He has a sack in two of his past three at Cincinnati. Linebacker L.J. Fort had 6 tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery for a touchdown last week.