Sports Betting Picks

AFC North Tilt: Pittsburgh Steelers vs Cincinnati Bengals

The Week 6 NFL schedule features an AFC North rivalry matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers. After their fast start to the season, the Bengals are 1.5-point favorites to beat the Steelers at home. The over/under for the game is set at 50.5 points.

At 4-1, the Bengals are flying high early in the season. Andy Dalton has been shockingly effective for most of the season, as the Bengals are among the top-5 teams in scoring. Of course, the Cincinnati defense was responsible for two of their touchdowns during last week’s 27-17 win over the Dolphins, so the Bengals are proving they can do it on both sides of the ball.

Pittsburgh, meanwhile, is off to an unusually slow start. They sit at 2-2-1 on the season, giving them some ground to make up if they want to get to the top of the division. That being said, the Steelers had their best game of the season last week, blowing out the Falcons at home 41-17. However, they still have to prove that they can put together a convincing performance in back-to-back weeks.

Prove It!

With the 41 points they scored last week, the Pittsburgh offense is definitely showing signs of finally hitting their stride. However, it’s worth noting that the Steelers have faced some of the worst defensive teams in the NFL early in the year, including the Falcons and Buccaneers, who have allowed the most points of any team. Remember, the Steelers were limited to just 14 points the previous week at home against the Ravens, so they can be slowed by quality defenses.

To that point, the jury is still out on whether the Bengals have a quality defense. They’ve only had one game this season in which they’ve held a team under 20 points. However, the Bengals do have a strong defensive line and the ability to put pressure on the quarterback. With Ben Roethlisberger a little less mobile than he was earlier in his career, that could be a factor. Cincinnati also has eight takeaways and three defensive touchdowns this season, two things that can’t be overlooked.

Keeping Track of Everyone

On the other side of the ball, it’s no longer the A.J. Green show for the Cincinnati offense. Tyler Boyd has finally emerged as a bonafide no. 2 receiver, forcing teams to take some of their focus away from Green. Running back Joe Mixon also returned from injury last week and made an immediate impact. Prior to last week’s game against the Falcons, the Pittsburgh defense has looked vulnerable this year, so they may not be able to keep tabs on all of Cincinnati’s playmakers.

The best chance the Steelers may have in this game is to apply pressure on Dalton with their outstanding pass rush. Dalton has thrown seven picks this season, although four of them came in one game. The Bengals have also done a fine job of keeping him upright, only allowing nine sacks through five games.

Bucking the Trend

The Steelers have won six straight games against the Bengals and have utterly dominated their division rivals this decade. But something still feels a little off about Pittsburgh this year whereas the Bengals have found a way to get to 4-1. With the Bengals only needing to cover 1.5 points at home, it’s fair to go against the grain. Bet on the Bengals -1.5 to beat the Steelers on Sunday.

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