NFL
By: Jalen Willingham
The Cincinnati Bengals will take on the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1 of the 2022 NFL Season
When: Sunday, September 11th
Time: 1:00 PM Eastern Time
Network: CBS
Betting Line: The Bengals are favored to win by 6.5 points
This is officially the first regular season game at the now named Paycor Stadium for the Bengals
Head to Head: The Pittsburgh Steelers lead the all-time regular season series 65-38. They are also 2-0 in the playoffs. The upcoming matchup will be the 106th all-time game.
Coach Records: Mike Tomlin has a career record of 154-85-2 and is 23-8 vs Cincinnati.
Zac Taylor has a career record of 16-32-1 and is 3-3 vs Pittsburgh.
Quarterbacks:
Mitchell Trubisky is 29-21 as a starter while Joe Burrow is 12-13-1 in the regular season.
Last Matchup: Sunday, November 28, 2021
Week 12
Result: Bengals won 41-10
After the historic career of Ben Roethlisberger finally came to an end last season, former Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Tribusky will now take over as the starter in Pittsburgh. With first-round pick Kenny Pickett coming into the season as the 3rd quarterback on the depth chart, Trubisky is going to have a chance at a full-on makeover. He also gets much more to work with offensively as well. The production of Najee Harris at running back is going to be key not just for week 1 but for potentially all season. The pass catchers of Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool, and Pat Freirmutch are all back from last season. Rookie George Pickens can add another dimension to the offense going forward as well. Everything isn’t exactly sunshine and rainbows, however. Najee Harris will be met by Bengals linebackers Logan Wilson and Germaine Pratt. Nose Tackle D.J. Reader should stuff the middle as well. The pass catchers will be matched by Chidobe Awuzie, Eli Apple, Jessie Bates, and rookie Daxton Hill who can play all around the field. After a down year by Bates in 2021, I would not be surprised if he gets tested quite a bit in the early weeks of the season. A solid pass rush with Trey Hendrickson leading the way should also cause trouble for the shaky Steelers offensive line.
As for the Bengals offense, Joe Burrow is now behind an entirely new offensive line. They will be needed badly to fend off the Steelers pass rush that had 55 sacks in 2021. The matchup of right tackle La’el Collins and defensive player of the year edge rusher T.J. Watt will be key. This is the first true test for the new Bengals offensive line. Will they show up? The receiving trio of Jamarr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd must be respected even though the Steelers kept them in check for the most part last season. I’m interested in seeing how much tight end Hayden Hurst is utilized as well to start off. While Cincinnati has the pass catchers and now the offensive line to effectively keep the Steelers at bay, they should look to the running game for points. Joe Mixon should look to have a field day behind the new line. Pittsburgh had one of the worst run defenses in the league last season. If linebackers Myles Jack and Devin Bush don’t improve this year, the run defense will be in trouble again.
This game is closer than what many may be led to believe. Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season in Pittsburgh and I’m honestly not sure if it starts this year. However, Cincinnati has an all-around much better team to start off along with the tools to beat the Steelers.
Prediction: Bengals win 24-20
