Matt's Stats: Week 3 vs. Bengals

Series history

This series began in 1970, and Pittsburgh leads the series 72-41. Two of those games occurred in the postseason, in 2006 and 2016, with the Steelers winning both. Pittsburgh was recently on an 11-game winning streak from December 2015 to November 2020. Cincinnati has won just 15 of the 54 games between these divisional rivals that have been played in the 2000s. These teams split their series last year, which is the third time in four years that's happened.

Matchup overview

• The Bengals have started the season 2-0 for the second straight year.

• Cincinnati has a plus-20 point differential (6th best) compared to minus-10 for the Steelers (19th).

• Cincinnati's +3 turnover differential is tied for best in the league. The Steelers are at +1, but Pittsburgh's 6.8% interceptions per attempt is the best in the league and their 3 interceptions are second most.  The Steelers have forced four fumbles, third most.

• Steelers opponents have 107 more rushing yards than Pittsburgh and average .9 yards more per attempt.

• Pittsburgh possessed the ball for 32:47 last week. The Bengals sit at 31:07 for the season compared to 30:50 for Pittsburgh. That is 13^th and 14^th best, respectively.

• The Steelers are running 65.5 plays per game, eighth most. Their opponents run 55 plays per game, fourth fewest.

• Cincinnati faces a pass play 70.8% of the time, highest in the league. Pittsburgh faces a pass play 46.4% of the time. Only one defense has faced pass plays less.

• The Steelers turn a set of downs into a new set of downs or touchdown at a 57% clip, ahead of only Atlanta. In the same metric, the Steelers defense is at 59%, best in the league.

• There have been 14 total sacks in two Bengals games.

• Cincinnati was penalized a dozen times in Week 2. There have been 36 total penalties in Bengals games.

When Pittsburgh has the ball

• The Steelers averaged just 3.5 yards per play in Week 2. For the season, they sit at 3.8, worst in the league. The Falcons are 31^st at 4.2. Cincinnati allows 5.0 yards per play.

• The Steelers offense has scored one touchdown this season (25 possessions). The Bengals didn't allow a touchdown last week. Cincinnati broke a streak of 65 straight games of allowing at least one touchdown. That was the NFL's longest active streak heading into last week's game.

• Pittsburgh has a streak of 20 straight drives without scoring a touchdown.

• In the two meetings last season, Pittsburgh put up a combined 65 points against the Bengals.

• Through two weeks, the Steelers' average offensive drive is 46 yards. They averaged 14.5 yards and 0.2 points per drive in Week 2.

• Pittsburgh was in 11 personnel with three receivers, a tight end and a running back, on 79.1% of Week 2 snaps.

• The Steelers threw the ball on 65.7% of their offensive plays last week. For the season they sit at 66.4%, the third highest.

• The Bengals have yet to allow a passing touchdown.

• Pittsburgh is 26^th in usage of play action (24%).

• The Steelers averaged 3.3 yards per pass in New England.

• Pittsburgh went from a 10.5-yard average depth of target and 2.85-second average time to throw in Week 1 to 5.3 yards and 2.43 seconds last week. The Bengals face the league's third highest time to throw (2.95 seconds).

• The Steelers are 0 for 9 on pass attempts of 20+ yards this year. Last week was their fifth straight game with fewer than two touchdown passes.

• Collectively, Steelers pass catchers have gotten 74 targets. Tight ends have 14. Running backs have 16.

• With Michael Pittman Jr. out of the lineup in Week 2, Roman Wilson and Germie Bernard each played 55 snaps with Ben Skowronek on the field for 15 offensive plays. Wilson's route share jumped from 60% to 87%. Bernard had a 74% route share against the Patriots. Wilson ran 60% of his routes from the slot against New England. Pittman played 59 of a possible 65 snaps (excluding kneel-downs) in Week 1.

• DK Metcalf finished last week's game with four catches for 27 yards. Metcalf has 67 yards on 19 targets (3.5 yards per target).

• Bernard's 35 receiving yards led the team in Week 2.

• Pat Freiermuth out-snapped Darnell Washington 46-37 against New England and ran 15 more routes. Freiermuth has been on the field every snap this season when there are multiple tight ends employed. He has the Steelers' only offensive touchdown.

• Texans tight end Dalton Schultz caught 12 passes for 140 yards against Cincinnati last week. The Bengals give up the most receiving yards (100) and most receptions (6.5) per game to the tight end position.

• The Bengals have given up the most receptions to running backs (15).

• Warren's route share jumped from 31% in Week 1 to 59% in Week 2.

• The Steelers tallied 71.1% of their passing yardage after the catch in New England.

• The Bengals didn't record a sack last year against Pittsburgh. They sacked Baker Mayfield four times in the first game of the season and C.J. Stroud four times last week. Their eight sacks lead the NFL.

• The Steelers averaged 2.7 yards per pass attempt vs. New England's 18 snaps of blitz. For the season, Pittsburgh averages 4.39, 31^st in the league. The Bengals have blitzed 14.3% of the time, lowest in the league.

• The Steelers average 0.23 rushing yards before first contact, only better than Cleveland.

• Pittsburgh is one of five offenses without a rushing touchdown.

• Last year against Cincinnati, Warren had 26 combined carries for 189 rushing yards. His 50 snaps played last week were Warren's career high.

• Houston didn't have a running back rush for more than 10 yards against the Bengals and finished the day with just 60 total rushing yards. In the run game Houston averaged 8 yards per carry when defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence was off the field compared to 1 when he was on. Cincinnati allows a league-low 78 yards per game to running backs.

• Lawrence and defensive tackle Jonathan Allen combined for 4 tackles for loss last week. Allen has 4 tackles for loss this year.

• Against the Bengals, 32.3% of opponents' rushes have gone for no gain or a tackle for loss, the second-best rate in the league.

• Pittsburgh is 5 of 25 on third downs (20%), 31^st in the league, with an average distance of 6.71 yards to gain. Only nine offenses have a shorter distance to go on third downs.

• The Bengals held Houston to 0 for 4 on fourth downs.

When Cincinnati has the ball

• The Bengals average 5.1 yards per play, the same amount Pittsburgh allows.

• The Bengals are using 12 personnel with two tight ends and two receivers at a 35.2% rate, highest in the NFL.

• Cincinnati's 20% play-action rate is the lowest in the league and the Steelers are facing play action on 24% of dropbacks, also the lowest in the league.

• When under center, the Bengals are throwing the ball 21.4% of the time. Only three offenses throw less from under center.

• Cincinnati is seventh best in explosive pass rate. The Steelers defense is 22^nd. The Bengals are 8th best in explosive run rate. Pittsburgh's defense is 22^nd.

• Burrow's 23% explosive pass rate would be, by far, the best of his career. He has reached two or more touchdown passes in 6 of his last 8 games.

• The Steelers are allowing 154.5 passing yards per game, third best.

• Burrow passes have come in 2.5 seconds or less 63% of the time, second highest.  His average time to throw of 2.51 seconds is the third fastest. Burrow has thrown an interception in six straight games against the Steelers dating to 2021.

• Ja'Marr Chase was targeted just four times in Week 1, a career-low 11.1% of his routes run. He caught two of those for just 12 yards. Last week was Chase's 14^th career multi-touchdown game. He passed Amon-Ra St. Brown for the second most catches (529) in a player's first 80 NFL games behind only Michael Thomas (560).

• Chase, Tee Higgins and running back Chase Brown combined to account for 77.4% of Cincinnati's targets in Week 2.

• Tight end Mike Gesicki only ran 17 routes in Week 1 but still led the Bengals with 5 catches and 78 receiving yards. He didn't have a catch vs. Houston.

• Running back Samaje Perine ran 15 routes on 24 snaps last week.

• The Steelers have a 7% sack rate, second best. They have the league's most tackles for loss (15).

• T.J. Watt now has 3.5 sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss. Alex Highsmith has 3 sacks and 4 tackles for loss. Watt has a sack on 10.5% of his pass-rush snaps. That is best in the league. Atlanta's Za'Darius Smith is second at 8.8%. Highsmith is third at 7.9%.

• Burrow was sacked five times in Houston. Burrow is getting blitzed at a 36% rate, by far the highest of his career.

• Pittsburgh blitzed on 48.2% of Drake Maye's dropbacks in New England after blitzing on just 7.7% of Atlanta's dropbacks.

• Last year against Pittsburgh, Brown had 29 combined carries for 207 rushing yards. In Week 1, Brown rushed for 56 yards on 16 carries. Last week, Brown had 20 of the Bengals' 23 carries. Brown has 22 more carries than all other Bengals combined.

• Jamel Dean has already forced two fumbles.

• Steelers opponents have converted just 6 of 24 third downs (25%), third best.

Special teams

• Chris Boswell is currently 9 field goals behind Gary Anderson for the most all time in Steelers history.

• There have been 5 missed field goals combined in two Steelers games and only one in Bengals games.

• The Steelers average 6 punts per game. That is most in the league and 0.5 more than the next highest (Tennessee and Detroit).

• Robert Spears-Jennings has 7 special teams tackles. Not only does that lead the league, but no one else has more than 5. No one else in this game has more than 3 (Bengals safety Jordan Battle).

Most memorable moment: Steelers 18, Bengals 16 (Jan. 9, 2016, Wild Card Round at Paul Brown Stadium)

Cincinnati was without starting quarterback Andy Dalton for this playoff game, but had been to the postseason in 5 of the previous 6 years and had a talented team. It was A.J. McCarron who started this Wild Card matchup in Cincinnati and after a Ben Roethlisberger shoulder injury, the Steelers had to turn to Landry Jones in this game. Jones' first pass was intercepted by linebacker Vontaze Burfict. That interception gave the Bengals the ball with 1:36 to play with a 16-15 lead and the ball at their 26. But Ryan Shazier stripped the ball from running back  Jeremy Hill, recovered it himself, and Roethlisberger returned to the game. After moving the team down the field, a 15-yard Burfict penalty put the Steelers in field goal range to win the game. But then, Bengals cornerback Adam Jones was called for his own 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty, and the ball was moved to the 17-yard line. Chris Boswell sealed the deal and the Steelers moved to the next round of the playoffs in Denver.

Key matchups

Bengals RT Amarius Mims vs. Steelers EDGE T.J. Watt

A massive former first-round pick out of Georgia, Mims is quickly ascending as one of the league's premier right tackles and Cincinnati often leaves him on islands — even against premier players like Watt. Mims will also see Alex Highsmith at times as well as a strong dose of Nate Herbig.

Steelers C Zach Frazier vs. Bengals DT Dexter Lawrence

Cincinnati sent the Giants the 10th overall draft pick this year in exchange for Lawrence, one of the NFL's best interior defenders. Unlike most nose tackle types, Lawrence greatly influences the passing game as well as being a dominant run defender. This is a battle between two of the very best in the business.