Cheat Sheet: Week 7 vs. Bengals

SERIES HISTORY

This series began in 1970 and Pittsburgh leads the series 71-40. Two of those games occurred in the post season, in 2006 and 2016, with the Steelers winning both of those contests. The Steelers have won three of the last four meetings. Cincinnati has won just 14 of the 52 games between these divisional rivals that have been played in the 2000s. Mike Tomlin is 27-12 vs. Cincinnati, including a playoff win in 2016.

MATCHUP OVERVIEW

• Pittsburgh has yet to lose on the road this season and are 3-0 away from Acrisure Stadium.
• Aaron Rodgers has a 13-5 record on Thursday nights with a 42 to 5 touchdown to interception ratio.
• The Steelers and Bengals are both 1-0 in the AFC North.
• The Steelers and Bengals are 5-5 against each other in their last 10 meetings and both teams have scored exactly 237 combined in those contests.
• Joe Flacco and Rodgers are the only two non-kickers to appear in games this season at age 40+.
• Flacco is 10-11 in his career vs. the Steelers.
• Last week, Flacco became the third oldest player in the Super Bowl era to be traded behind Jerry Rice and Jan Stenerud.
• The Steelers now have a +12-point differential after winning their last three games. Cincinnati now sits at -80 after losing four straight, worst in the league. The Bengals have been outscored 140-55 in their past four games. Not only is the Bengals -80-point differential the worst in the league, but it is the worst in the NFL through six games since 2002.
• The Steelers have led for 46.5% of their offensive plays, sixth highest.
• The Bengals have trailed by double digits for a league high 48.9% of their offensive plays.
• The Steelers opponents are producing 90.4 more yards per game than Pittsburgh.
• The Bengals opponents have scored 10 more touchdowns, have produced 44 more first downs, 480 more passing yards, 2.2 more yards per pass attempt, 474 more rushing yards, 1.3 more rushing yards per attempt, and 153 more yards per game than Cincinnati.
• In the first half of games, the Steelers produce 2.96 points per drive, third best. In the first half of games the Bengals produced .97 points per drive, 31^st.
• Pittsburgh is +7 in turnover differential, only behind Chicago and Jacksonville. Cincinnati is at -4, only ahead of the Jets, Ravens, and 49ers. Only the Rams (6) have taken the ball away via fumble more than Pittsburgh (5). The Bengals 11 giveaways are the most in the league while the Steelers three giveaways are only more than Tampa Bay and Kansas City. Pittsburgh has yet to lose a fumble.
• The Steelers have allowed zero points off turnovers. Cincinnati has allowed 52 points off turnovers, most in the league.
• The Steelers possessed the football for 31:52 last week, but for the season they are at 27:47. The Bengals only possessed the ball for 27:16 in Green Bay and for the season, they now sit at 25:50.
• The Steelers are +15 in sack differential over their past three games and +11 for the season.
• The Bengals produce the fewest rushing yards per game (56.7). The Steelers produce the fourth fewest (84.0). The Bengals (3.2) and Steelers (3.4) offenses are also 31^st and 30^th respectively in rushing yards per attempt.
• Pittsburgh was penalized 10 times last week. That is the most accepted penalties for the Steelers since Week 2 of last year.
• Since 1990, teams that start 5-1 go to the playoffs 85.5% of the time compared to teams that start 4-2 that go at a 64.3% clip.

WHEN PITTSBURGH HAS THE BALL

• The Steelers average 5.1 yards per play. Cincinnati allowed 6.8 yards per play last week and for the season, sit at 5.9, ahead of only Chicago, Miami, and Dallas.
• The Steelers are throwing the ball at a 54.6% rate, 22^nd most in the league.
• Pittsburgh has utilized 13 Personnel on 13.6% of their snaps, the highest percentage in the league.
• Only three defenses allow more touchdowns per drive than Cincinnati.
• Pittsburgh turns a series of downs into a first down or touchdown at a 72% rate. League average is 71%. Cincinnati's defense is league worst at 79%.
• Last week was Rodgers 111^th career game with two or more touchdown passes and zero interceptions.
• Rodgers has an average time to throw of 2.57 seconds, second amongst all qualified quarterbacks. In attempts under 2.5 seconds, Rodgers have completed 81.1% of his attempts (sixth best) and averaged 8.2 yards per attempts (second best). The Bengals allow a league worst 7.7 yards per attempt on passes under 2.5 seconds, including eight touchdowns.
• Only four defenses allow a higher yards per pass attempt than Cincinnati.
• The Steelers average depth of target of 5.3 yards downfield not only is the lowest in the league, but the next closest team (Miami) sits at 6.6 yards downfield. However, last week Rodgers averaged 7.5 air yards per attempt.
• 70.1% of the Steelers passing yards have come after the catch. Not only is that the highest percentage in the league, but the next closest team (Denver) sits at 58.1%. Meanwhile, Cincinnati has given up 61.0% of their passing yardage after the catch, the second highest percentage in the league.
• Pittsburgh only has 32 receptions by wide receivers this season, 19 fewer than any other team, although the Steelers are only one of six teams to have had their bye week.
• DK Metcalf has a touchdown catch in four straight games. He has seven career touchdown catches on Thursday nights, which is two more than any other player since 2019. Metcalf is running 28.4 routes per game, 56^th amongst wide receivers.
• Against Cleveland with Calvin Austin sidelined, Metcalf was on the field for 90.3% of the Steelers passing plays. The next highest wide receiver was Scotty Miller at 48.4%, then Roman Wilson at 25.8%. Wilson only ran eight routes.
• Darnell Washington has played 45+ more snaps in each of the last two games after playing 30 or fewer in each of the first three. His 62 receiving yards vs. Cleveland was a career high.
• Last week, Washington's 47 snaps led all tight ends followed by Jonnu Smith with 41 and Pat Freiermuth with 21. Smith was on the field for 67.7% of the Steelers pass plays compared to 61.3% for Washington and 45.2% for Freiermuth.
• On targets to opposing tight ends, Cincinnati is allowing a 9.4% touchdown rate, 30^th in the league.
• Rodgers wasn't sacked last week, and the Bengals recorded just one sack in Green Bay.
• Since 2024, the Bengals defense has a 6.3% sack rate with Trey Hendrickson on the field compared to 3.7% without him. Over that time, Hendrickson has been responsible for 45.7% of his team's sacks, highest percentage in the league.
• Cincinnati has blitzed on just 16.4% of dropbacks this season, the second lowest rate in the league. They also have a league-low 13.7% blitz rate on early downs.
• With the Steelers Week 1 starting offensive linemen sharing 96% of the offensive snaps, Pittsburgh has the second highest offensive line continuity in the league.
• Spencer Anderson was on field against Cleveland for 17 of a possible 59 offensive snaps. The Steelers have had an extra offensive lineman on the field for 11.8% of their snaps this season.
• The Bengals give up the third most rushing yards per game (119.7) and fifth most receiving yards per game (46.3) to the running back position. Cincinnati is facing a league high 31.0 running back touches per game.
• The Steelers running backs have accounted for 63.8% of the team's touches, second highest in the league.
• Green Bay ran for 156 yards against the Bengals defense. Cincinnati allows 135.7 rushing yards per game, fifth most in the NFL.
• Cincinnati allows 2.13 yards per rush before first contact, third highest.
• The Bengals allow 4.1 yards per rush when BJ Hill is on the field compared to 4.9 without Hill.
• Last week, Jaylen Warren got a 48% carry share (his lowest of the season) compared to 26% for both Kenneth Gainwell and Kaleb Johnson. Gainwell had a 20% target share compared to 6.7% for Warren.

WHEN CINCINNATI HAS THE BALL

• The Bengals averaged 4.3 yards per play last week and for the season, sit at 4.3. Only the Titans and Browns are worse. The Steelers give up 5.2 yards per play, tied for ninth best. Over their past three games, Pittsburgh is giving up just 4.5.
• Cincinnati is throwing the ball at the league's highest rate (67.2%). Last week, they threw it 74.2%.
• The Bengals utilized 11 Personnel for 74.2% of their snaps, the third highest percentage in the league. Last week with Flacco, Cincinnati employed 11 Personnel on 88.7% of their snaps.
• Only the Titans produce fewer yards per drive than Cincinnati. Only the Titans and Browns produced fewer points per drive and no offense turns the ball over more on a per drive basis than Cincinnati.
• The Bengals turn a set of downs into a new set of downs or touchdown at a 66% rate. Only the Titans and Browns are worse. The Steelers defense allows it at a 75% rate.
• Cincinnati produced just 65 yards in the first half of play last week. They have produced three or fewer first half points in four straight games.
• Only the Vikings (5.8%) have seen a lower percentage of deep passes (20+ yards) attempted against them this season than the Steelers (6.3%).
• Joe Flacco's 45 pass attempts last week was the most by a Bengals quarterback this season.
• Bengals quarterbacks have aligned in the shotgun on 78.7% of their snaps this season, highest in the league. In Flacco's first game with the Bengals, he aligned in the shotgun 79% of the time. Flacco was in the shotgun on 61% of his snaps this season with the Browns.
• Last week, Flacco averaged 2.7 yards per pass attempt in the first half and 3.8 through three quarters. In the fourth quarter alone, Flacco averaged 6.1 yards per attempt.
• Ja'Marr Chase caught 10 passes last week for 94 yards and a touchdown. He never left the field and led the team with a 31% target share against Green Bay. Chase has accounted for 40.2% of the Bengals total receiving yards, only behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
• Tee Higgins had a 20% target share (second highest of the season) in his first game with Flacco and a season-high 62 receiving yards.
• The Steelers did have six sacks last week and Flacco was sacked just once in Green Bay. Only the Broncos (13.2%) produce a sack at a higher rate per dropback than Pittsburgh (9.1%).
• Pittsburgh has 11 players with one or more sack. That is tied with Denver for most in the league. They also have 11 players with multiple quarterback hits, which is the most in the league.
• The Steelers blitz six or more defenders at a 20.5% rate, highest in the league. That is five percentage points than any other defense.
• The Bengals rushed for just 55 yards last week.
• In the first four weeks of the season, Chase Brown had an 85% carry share. The last two weeks, that has dropped to 66% and 60%. Brown saw his lowest target share (5.0%) last week. Brown out snapped Samaje Perine 35-30 in Week 6. Brown hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 1.
• The Bengals are the only offense in the league yet to produce a run of 15+ yards.
• Cincinnati is last in the league in rushing yards produced (.99) before first contact. Brown has been contacted behind the line of scrimmage on 58.1% of his runs, the second highest percentage amongst running backs with at least 50 carries.
• The Steelers allow 3.8 yards per carry with Keeanu Benton on the field compared to 5.2 when he is off the field.
• Pittsburgh averages a league high 6.0 sacks plus takeaways per game on defense.

SPECIAL TEAMS

• Evan McPherson missed two field goals last week, his first two misses of the season.
• Bengals punter Ryan Rehkow leads the NFL with 1,644 punt yards.

MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT: December 31^st, 2006: Steelers 23, Bengals 17 (OT)

Coming into this final game of the 2006 regular season, the Bengals needed to win this game to get into the postseason, while the Steelers were out of the playoff race. This was Bill Cowher's final game as the Steelers head coach and he shared, "Let me just say this. Misery loves company. And we're looking for company." Well, Cowher got his wish as his Steelers took Cincinnati to the wire and kept the divisional rival out of the playoffs. Two great quarterbacks, Ben Roethlisberger and Carson Palmer, battled it out and the Steelers got 134 rushing yards from Willie Parker on 34 carries. In overtime, Roethlisberger hit Santonio Holmes on a quick slant that Holmes took to the house to crush Cincinnati's postseason dreams.

KEY MATCHUPS

Bengals WRs Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins vs. Steelers Cornerbacks: The Bengals might not have Joe Burrow available, but Chase and Higgins remain extremely dangerous. Without question, they are one of the best wide receiver pairings in the NFL. Joe Flacco isn't bashful about pushing the ball down the field or putting the ball up in a one vs. one situation.

Steelers Offensive Tackles vs. Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson: Hendrickson, the Bengals best defensive player, injured his back last week and obviously will be dealing with a short week to prepare against Pittsburgh. If he plays, Hendrickson is clearly the Bengals most dangerous pass-rusher, but Cincinnati also has two very recent first round picks, Shemar Stewart and Myles Murphy, to provide potency off the edge.