Matt's Stats: Week 10 at Bengals

Series history

This series began in 1970, and Pittsburgh leads the series 73-41. Two of those games occurred in the postseason, in 2006 and 2016, with the Steelers winning both of those contests. These teams have never tied. Pittsburgh was recently on an 11-game winning streak from December 2015 to November 2020. Cincinnati has won just 15 of the 55 games between these divisional rivals that have been played in the 2000s. These teams split their series last year, the third time in four years that happened. Pittsburgh has the most recent win, earlier this season at Acrisure Stadium, and is 6-3 against the Bengals in the last nine games.

Matchup overview

• Coming off its bye week, Pittsburgh sits at 6-2. Cincinnati is also 6-2. Both teams are riding a four-game winning streak.

• The Bengals have faced two teams this year that currently have a winning record. Those are both of Cincinnati's losses, Pittsburgh and Jacksonville.

• The Steelers have outscored their opponents by 36 points (eighth best) compared to +65 for Cincinnati, fourth best.

• Pittsburgh has scored 30, 34, and 31 points against Cincinnati over the past two seasons.

• Cincinnati has scored 12 more touchdowns than touchdowns allowed.

• Pittsburgh is +5 in turnover differential, fifth best. The Bengals are +2, 12^th best.

• Pittsburgh is +5 in explosive play differential in each of the past two games.

• The Steelers are now +3 in sack differential. Cincinnati is +8.

• The Bengals are throwing the ball on 63.7% of their dropbacks. Pittsburgh is at 61.9%. That is the third and fifth most, respectively.

• Of 31 qualified quarterbacks, Joe Burrow's 2.66 seconds and Aaron Rodgers' 2.70 seconds average time to throw rank fifth and seventh quickest, respectively. The Bengals face an average time to throw of 2.93 seconds, the third highest.

• Pittsburgh held the ball for 29:45 in Week 8. For the season, the Steelers are at 31:23 compared to 30:15 for Cincinnati.

• The Bengals have allowed 328 more rushing yards than they have gained and allow 1.1 more yards per carry.

• The Steelers outrushed Cleveland by 166 yards and 3.8 yards per carry. Over the past two games, Pittsburgh has rushed for 345 yards while allowing just 52. For the season, the Steelers average 1.3 more yards per rush more than they allow and 34 more rushing yards per game.

• 21.6% of rush attempts against the Steelers go for zero or negative yards, best in the league. Cincinnati's defense is third best (20.4%).

• Pittsburgh's opponents have been penalized 15 more times than the Steelers. Cincinnati's opponents have been penalized 19 more times than the Bengals.

When Pittsburgh has the ball

• The Steelers averaged 6.1 yards per play in their last game. In the first meeting, Pittsburgh produced 7.0 yards per play. The Bengals allowed 5.8 last week. For the season, the Steelers offense sits at 5.2 (20^th) and Cincinnati allows 5.7 (27^th).

• The Steelers throw the ball 61.9% of the time, fifth most. The Bengals see pass plays at a 59.6% rate, 24^th highest.

• Against the Bengals 47.6% of possessions reach the red zone or score a touchdown from outside the red zone, the league's highest rate. In the same metric, Pittsburgh's defense is at 24.1%, the second lowest rate.

• Against Pittsburgh 35.5% of scoring plays have been touchdowns, the lowest rate in the league.

• Pittsburgh uses play action on 19% dropbacks, more than just three offenses.

• The Bengals defense allows an explosive play rate of 15%, worst in the league.

• The Bengals are in their nickel package for 77.3% of their snaps. Only the Browns and Patriots are in nickel more.

• Pittsburgh's 19% play action rate is only higher than three offenses.

• Aaron Rodgers threw for 172 yards on 25 pass attempts against Cleveland and 292 yards in the first meeting against Cincinnati. Three of Rodgers' six interceptions first hit the hands of a Steelers receiver.

• DK Metcalf has 30 more targets than the Steelers' second leading target-getter (Jaylen Warren), but just 84 more receiving yards than Warren. Metcalf has run a route on 99.4% of dropbacks, highest in the league.

• Germie Bernard has target shares of 30%, 27%, 18%, and 23% over his past four games. He has 154 yards after the catch during that stretch, more than double of any other Steelers wide receiver or tight end. In these past four games as a starter, Bernard has played 94% of the snaps and averages 7.5 targets per game. He is playing 51.5% of his snaps from the slot. From the slot, Bernard averages 1.76 yards per route run compared to 0.97 from out wide.

• The Bengals allow a league-low 6.5 yards per target to receivers aligned outside the numbers, and on passes of 20+ yards, Cincinnati allows a league-low 6.5 yards per target.

• A league-high 43.2% of passes against Cincinnati are between the numbers.

• Darnell Washington was targeted five times against the Browns, catching three passes but for 94 yards, including a 58-yard catch-and-run. He was the Steelers' leading receiver with 67 the first game against Cincinnati. Washington has scored a touchdown in three of his last five games and leads the team with six end-zone targets. His 37.5% share of end-zone targets leads all tight ends.

• Pat Freiermuth has two or fewer catches in five of his past six games.

• The Bengals allow 8.8 yards per target against tight ends, 31^st.

• Jaylen Warren averages 14.2 yards after the catch per reception.

• Rico Dowdle didn't have a target in Week 8, but he had 10 combined in his previous two games.

• Only Kansas City averages more than the Steelers' 139.9 yards after the catch per game. The Bengals defense (135.3) ranks last.

• The Bengals didn't record a sack last week. Boye Mafe (5.5) and Dexter Lawrence (5.0) make up 46% of Cincinnati's total sack production (23).

• Cincinnati blitzes on 19.4% of opposing dropbacks, the lowest percentage in the NFL.

• Since Dowdle returned from injury, Warren has gotten 65% of the snaps, 59% of the rushing share, 46% of the routes, and 10% of the targets.

• The Steelers averaged 6.0 yards per carry in the first game against Cincinnati.

• The Bengals allowed 157 rushing yards in Madrid, 100 to Falcons RB Bijan Robinson. They allowed 6.5 yards per carry. Their 5.0 yards per carry allowed is the highest mark in the league. Cincinnati's 2.21 average rushing yards before first contact ranks last.

• The Steelers' 3.69 average rushing yards after first contact is only behind the Falcons.

• Pittsburgh's 11% explosive run rate is fifth best while the Bengals defense (11%) is 28^th.

• Warren has 530 more rushing yards than the Steelers second leading rusher (Dowdle) and 681 more rushing yards than anyone else on the team. In the first meeting in Cincinnati, Warren had 127 rushing yards.

• Warren rushed for 143 yards on 17 carries in Week 8 and 5.9% of his carries this year have gone for 20+ yards, most among all running backs with 30+ carries. Despite already having his bye, Warren is still third in the league with 998 scrimmage yards and accounts for 35.5% of Pittsburgh's scrimmage yards, only behind Robinson for Atlanta and Jahmyr Gibbs for Detroit. He averages 6.9 yards per touch, which leads all running backs with 50+ touches.

• The Steelers had one rushing touchdown in their first seven games. Against the Browns, they had three.

• Lawrence has the second most run stuffs (at or behind the line of scrimmage) with 11. The Bengals allow 1.4 yards per carry less with Lawrence on the field (4.5) as compared to off (5.9).

• Only Dallas and Carolina are worse than the Bengals (47.5%) in third-down defense. The Steelers offense (37.9%) is 16^th.

When Cincinnati has the ball

• The Steelers allowed 5.0 yards per play against Cleveland. In the first meeting, Cincinnati produced 6.3 yards per play. Last week against Atlanta, the Bengals were at 7.1. For the season, the Bengals average 6.1 yards per play, third highest. Pittsburgh allows 5.0, sixth best.

• The Bengals have scored 112 points in their past 10 quarters.

• Cincinnati throws the ball at a 63.7% rate (third) while Pittsburgh's defense sees a pass play 62.3% of the time. Only two defenses see pass plays at a higher rate.

• The Bengals offense (14%) is sixth in explosive play rate while the Steelers defense (12%) is also sixth best.

• Cincinnati converts a series of downs into a touchdown or new series of downs at a 79% clip, best in the league. The Steelers defense is at 68%, fifth best.

• Of Cincinnati's 28 touchdowns, 82% have come via passing, the highest percentage in the league. Since 2016, only four teams have finished a season with a higher percentage of touchdowns coming via pass.

• The Steelers have not allowed a second-half touchdown in the last five games and just one all season.

• The Bengals' 19% play action rate is the second lowest in the league while the Steelers defense (20%) faces the league's lowest percentage of play action.

• Burrow threw for 282 yards in the first matchup with three touchdowns and zero interceptions. Last week Burrow threw for 271, also without an interception. He leads the NFL in completion percentage (74%), passing yards per game (298.3) and passing touchdowns (23). Burrow has averaged over 9.0 yards per pass attempt in three straight games and has completed 70% of his passes in six straight.

• Burrow has 16 passing touchdowns in his past four games. Over that time, Cincinnati has just three rushing touchdowns, two by Burrow.

• Ja'Marr Chase caught 10 passes for 155 in Madrid. Over the past two weeks, Chase is averaging 14 targets and 148 receiving yards per game. Since 2021, Chase has 21 touchdown catches of 40+ yards. No one else has more than 13 (Tyreek Hill) and then no one else has more than 10. Chase has scored a touchdown in four straight games and six of his past seven.

• Tee Higgins is fifth in receiving yards per game (94.8). He has two receiving touchdowns in each of his past two games.

• Chase and Higgins combined to catch 15 passes for 188 receiving yards in the first matchup against the Steelers. Over the past three games, these two have a combined 47 catches for 693 yards and eight touchdowns. For the season, Chase has six more targets but 111 fewer receiving yards than Higgins.

• TE Drew Sample played 38 snaps last week compared to 22 for Mike Gesicki. Four tight ends saw action for Cincinnati in Week 9.

• Gesicki had scored a touchdown in five straight games before last week and has six this season.

• Running backs have 25.3% of the receptions against Pittsburgh's defense, third highest.

• The Bengals average 119.5 yards after the catch per game, seventh best. The Steelers allow 120.0, better than only four defenses.

• Pittsburgh faces an average time to throw of 2.68 seconds. Only Tampa Bay (2.65) faces a quicker time to throw.

• The Steelers average 6.25 passes defended per game, most in the league. Only the Chiefs (15) have more batted passes than Pittsburgh (12).

• Pittsburgh's sack percentage (8.2%) is fourth best.

• Burrow was sacked just once when these teams last met.

• T.J. Watt had two of the Steelers' eight sacks in Week 8. He now has 7.5 sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss on the season, both leading the team.

• The Steelers are rushing the passer with a defensive back on 12% of opponent dropbacks.

• Patrick Queen has rushed the passer 16 times over the past three games and has three sacks during that time.

• Quinshon Judkins led the Browns with 25 rushing yards two weeks ago. No one else had more than seven.

• Pittsburgh allows 3.6 yards per carry. Only three defenses are better. The Steelers' 0.67 average yards before first contact is fourth best.

• The Bengals' 2.48 average rushing yards after first contact is only better than Minnesota and Denver.

• Cincinnati had a season-high 123 rushing yards last week and Chase Brown had a season-high 6.3 yards per carry. However, Brown's 62% snap share was his lowest of the season, as was his 39% rush share. Brown has not had more than 13 carries in  a game since Week 2.

• The Bengals are the only team in the league without a run of 20+ yards.

• The Browns were just 4 for 13 on third downs in Week 8. Pittsburgh's defense is seventh best (34.3%) on third downs. The Bengals offense (53.6%) is the best in the league.

• Burrow has thrown 30 passes in 3rd-and-7 or longer situations. He has completed 77% for 321 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. As a team, Cincinnati is converting third-and-longs at a league-high 39.5% conversion rate. The next best offense (San Francisco) is at 34.6%. Only four offenses are above 30%.

• Cincinnati's 30% fourth-down conversion rate is worst in the league.

• The Bengals have played 505 offensive snaps this season. Their starting five offensive linemen have missed a total of 17 snaps with left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. playing all 505.

• Daylen Everette has played 178 snaps this year, but 146 of those came across three games.

Special teams

• Chris Boswell missed another field goal in Week 8, his fifth of the year. Only Harrison Butker has missed more. However, his average missed distance is 53 yards.

• Bengals kicker Evan McPherson is 12 for 12 on field goals.

Matt's memorable moment: Steelers 23, Bengals 17 in OT (Dec. 31, 2006, at Paul Brown Stadium)

Coming into this final game of the 2006 regular season, the Bengals needed to win to get into the postseason while the Steelers were out of the playoff race. This was Bill Cowher's final game as Steelers head coach and he produced a great quote: "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 a 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 vs. Steelers CBs

Ja'Marr Chase very well could be the best wide receiver in the NFL, but there is also a strong argument to be made that Higgins is having the better season, which is rather incredible. These two present a clear challenge over every cornerback group they face on a week-to-week basis.

Steelers OC Zach Frazier vs. Bengals DT Dexter Lawrence

Lawrence was outstanding once against last week against Atlanta, and every team that faces the Bengals is rightfully highly reluctant to run up the middle. Lawrence also has a great effect in the passing game. However, Frazier, who is playing as well as any center in football, was certainly the most difficult matchup Lawrence has faced this season. The rematch could be fantastic to watch.