Bengals vs Steelers NFL Football Spread/Handicapping
A huge battle in the AFC North that should eliminate the loser from playoff contention. Cincinnati has been owned by the Steelers lately and this would be a very opportune time for the Bengals to break their hold.
Cincinnati Bengals (8-6) vs Pittsburgh Steelers (7-7)
Sunday December 23
Heinz Field – Pittsburgh, PA
1:00PM
Moneyline: Pittsburgh -170, Cincinnati +150 at Bovada
Spread: Pittsburgh -3
O/U: 42
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Cincinnati
The Bengals are in the driver’s seat in the playoff chase heading into this weekend. If they win they can even knock out the Steelers. The problem is beating Pittsburgh is something they haven’t done since 2009…and they haven’t covered even once against Pittsburgh since then.
After a midseason swoon they have won 5 of their last 6 so their confidence should be high considering the opponent…Looking at the numbers this Bengals team is probably better than you realize. Running back BenJarvis Green Ellis has already topped 1000 yards, so has receiver A.J. Green and QB Andy Dalton has exceeded last year’s TD total.
In short, the offense of the Bengals is better than it has been in some time.
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The defense is pretty good too…
You can bet the Bengals would rather get the win they need this week rather than have to beat Baltimore in their finale. to make the playoffs. They also have a chance to catch the Steelers off guard this week as they are in a not so great place right now.
Upset or no upset if you can get the Bengals at +3 or better I think there is some good value there.
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh needs this one to keep their season alive. They have lost 4 of their past 5 games and must be elated to see the Bengals coming to town. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Some of those losses were with their starting QB on the shelf but Big Ben has been back the last two weeks and still not able to pull the team back into the winning column…
The Steelers beat Cincinnati the first time around this year with great balance.
Running back Jonathan Dwyer had a season high 122 yards on the ground as the Steelers owned the time of possession battle, holding the ball for 37 minutes. Dwyer hasn’t had more than 56 yards in the six weeks since putting more pressure on the passing game. The more balance they can have the better their chances are as the Bengals are streaking right now…
The Steelers have dominated the Bengals without a doubt but maybe things are beginning to change.
If you like the Steelers you will be warmed by the fact that the last 8 times they have beaten Cincinnati they have also won ATS.
The question is whether they have another win in them right now.
Spread Pick: Cincinnati +3
O/U Pick: Over
Score Prediction: Cincinnati 27 – Pittsburgh 24
