Bengals vs. Steelers: NFL Week 3 betting odds, preview, and pick
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. (Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire)
September 21st, 2021
After being handed their respective first losses of the season in Week 2, both the Cincinnati Bengals and the Pittsburgh Steelers will look to get back into the win column in Week 3 when they meet at Heinz Field on Sunday afternoon.
INTERCEPTION! Trayvon Mullen with the INT on Ben Roethlisberger! #MullenIsland pic.twitter.com/ygoDedHxr7
— Austin Pendergist (@apthirteen) September 19, 2021
Let’s take a look at the matchup and see how these AFC North rivals stack up at this early juncture in the NFL season, and which side bettors should land on.
Cincinnati Bengals (1-1) at Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1), 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS
Can Joe Burrow bounce back?
Bengals sophomore signal caller Joe Burrow looked brilliant in his team’s Week 1 win over the Minnesota Vikings, going 20-of-27 for 261 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. But Week 2 was a setback, as Burrow went 19-of-30 against the Chicago Bears for just 207 yards with two touchdowns and three backbreaking interceptions, including a “pick six” by Roquan Smith.
Joe Burrow went 199 straight attempts without throwing an INT, longest streak in the @NFL.
— Sportskeeda Pro Football (@SKProFootball) September 19, 2021
He then threw 3 straight interceptions 😱
pic.twitter.com/5a3rAnTVby
Burrow played the Steelers once in his rookie campaign and did not acquit himself all that well, going 21-of-40 for 213 yards and a touchdown in a 36-10 drubbing. If Pittsburgh gets Devin Bush and Joe Haden back on Sunday, the outcome could be very similar.
Burrow can't count on running back Joe Mixon to move the chains on the ground in this one, as the Steelers' rush defense has been quite stingy through two games. They've allowed only 3.4 yards per rush, tied for sixth in the league.
Steelers offense still a work in progress
Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers have a talented triumvirate of wide-outs in JuJu Smith Schuster, Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool, and Najee Harris is showing flashes of potential at running back, but it hasn’t translated to points thus far.
First time in the end zone for @ohthatsNajee22!
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) September 19, 2021
📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/W4wvAuZ6JW
Pittsburgh has tallied a modest 40 points through two games in 2021, 24th in the NFL. The Cincinnati defense has surrendered just 44 points through two tilts, good for 10th in football, but took on the likes of Kirk Cousins and Andy Dalton/Justin Fields in Weeks 1 and 2.
Bengals vs. Steelers injury report
| Cincinnati Bengals | Pittsburgh Steelers |
|---|
Tee Higgins: Questionable (shoulder) | Diontae Johnson: Questionable (knee) |
Trae Wayans: Questionable (hamstring) | Carlos Davis: Questionable (knee) |
Xavier Su’a-Filo: Questionable (knee) | Devin Bush: Questionable (groin) |
Larry Ogunjobi: Questionable (groin) | T.J. Watt: Questionable (groin) |
Bengals and Steelers betting trends
- The Bengals are 21-10-2 ATS in their last 33 games played in September
- The Bengals are 8-21-1 ATS in their last 30 meetings with the Steelers
- The Steelers are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games played in September
- The Steelers are 0-5 ATS in their last five games as the betting favorite
- The Under is 13-4-2 in the Bengals’ last 19 games as a road underdog
The verdict
Cincinnati looks like just the right team for Pittsburgh to work out their offensive troubles against. Lay the points with the Steelers.
Score prediction: Steelers 27, Bengals 16
NFL pick: Steelers -4
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