NFL Football Betting: Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers

Two winless teams are looking for their first victory on Monday Night Football when the Pittsburgh Steelers host the Cincinnati Bengals. Pittsburgh has dominated the head-to-head series between these two teams for three decades, but the Steelers are on pace to finish with their first losing season since 2003. That gives Cincinnati hope that it can break an eight-game losing streak against Pittsburgh on Monday.

CINCINNATI BENGALS VS. PITTSBURGH STEELERS
LINE: STEELERS -3 -120
TOTAL: 45

Sharps are already on board the Bengals’ bandwagon. Cincinnati opened at +4 per the NFL betting odds, but that line has dropped by a point. The over has seen significant movement as well, rising from 43 to 45 over the course of the week.

INJURY REPORT

AJ Green continues to sit out as he recovers from an ankle injury that he suffered on the first day of training camp. The Bengals are going to be thin on the defensive line as well with defensive end Kerry Wynn and defensive tackle Ryan Glasgow ruled out and Carl Lawson has been declared doubtful. Cornerback Darius Phillips is on injured reserve, and offensive tackle Cordy Glenn is still in the concussion protocol and will miss this game.

Pittsburgh lost Ben Roethlisberger for the season in Week 2, and this offense is nowhere near as potent without him. Tight end Xavier Grimble was placed on injured reserve earlier this week, and fellow tight end Vance McDonald has been declared doubtful. Fullback Roosevelt Nix will miss this game, and the linebacker corps is very banged up too. Anthony Chickillo and Vince Williams have both been scratched, and Jayrone Elliott is questionable.

WHEN CINCINNATI IS ON OFFENSE

Even without AJ Green, the Bengals receivers have been the strength of the offense this year. Tyler Boyd and John Ross are both on pace to surpass 1,000 yards this season, and Ross is averaging a whopping 22.5 yards per reception. They have a great dynamic where Boyd handles underneath routes and Ross finds success over the top. Pittsburgh has not had good play from its safeties this season, so taking Ross to beat his NFL player props could be a sharp move.

Andy Dalton has had to throw the ball a ton. Cincinnati doesn’t have a reliable run game, so the veteran quarterback is averaging 43 attempts a game and he is second in the NFL with 979 passing yards this season. The Steelers are allowing 8.7 yards per pass, so Dalton is wont to throw the ball often once again.

This run game is dismal. Cincinnati is averaging just 2.4 yards per carry, making this offense one-dimensional. The offensive line has gotten no push, and they are not expected to once again with their best offensive tackles sidelined.

WHEN PITTSBURGH IS ON OFFENSE

For better or worse, it’s Mason Rudolph’s team now. The second-year quarterback out of Oklahoma State notched the first start of his career last week against San Francisco, and he wasn’t great. Rudolph completed 14 of 27 passes for 174 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, and the offense sputtered as a result. If you take out a 76-yard toss to JuJu Smith-Schuster, Rudolph’s numbers are dreadful, so taking Rudolph’s under in NFL prop bets might be worth a play even though Cincinnati is allowing 8.7 yards per pass.

Smith-Schuster is the No. 1 receiver on the team, and he is the only Steelers wideout producing. No other player has 100 receiving yards this season, but Smith-Schuster has caught 14 passes for 243 yards and a score. This offense desperately needs Diontae Johnson or James Washington to contribute more, and Washington should have more success since he went to college with Rudolph.

The Steelers are averaging 3.8 yards per carry on the ground, but star running back James Conner can’t get going. Conner has 34 carries for 97 yards and a touchdown, and the running game must do more with a back-up quarterback now in command. Fortunately, Cincinnati’s run defense is one of the worse units in the NFL, surrendering 4.9 yards per carry.

PREDICTION

This will be a close game, but Cincinnati will get the job done and send Pittsburgh into further misery. Look for Dalton to throw for over 300 yards as the Steelers offense continues to stumble in defeat.

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