The Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Paul Brown Stadium to face AFC North rival the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round of the NFL playoffs. The Bengals will be without their franchise quarterback Andy Dalton Saturday, and backup quarterback AJ McCarron will make his first postseason start in the NFL. The Steelers will also missing a key player with running back DeAngelo Williams ruled out, but head coach Mike Tomlin will look for his team to step up in his absence.
Steelers franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger knows how important postseason games are in his 12th season in the league, and the veteran quarterback will look to move the ball through the air against a stingy Bengals defense. Roethlisberger has thrown for 3,938 yards this season with 21 touchdowns to 16 interceptions. It's the second most interceptions the Steelers quarterback has thrown during his career, and ball security will be of the utmost importance for the Steelers offense Saturday night.
Roethlisberger will look to target star wide receiver Antonio Brown, as he finished with the second most receiving yards in the NFL. The Steelers speedy wide out has 136 receptions for 1,843 receiving yards with 10 touchdowns. The Steelers like to get the ball in Browns hands quickly, and the talented receiver can make defenders easily miss tackles.
The Bengals defense has been inconsistent this season, but expect head coach Marvin Lewis to have his team ready against their division rival. The Bengals defense finished the season ranked 11th in terms of yards per game, and defensive tackle Geno Atkins is arguably the best player at his position in the league. The 6-foot-1, 300-pound defensive lineman has recorded 11 sacks this season and continually moves offensive lineman into the backfield.
The Bengals will need their defense to step it up on Saturday, as the Steelers will likely bring a ton of pressure after McCarron. The Bengals backup quarterback has played on a national stage before in college, but he struggled in his first game against the Steelers. In relief for Dalton, McCarron passed for 280 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. The second-year quarterback picked up his play after the Steelers game, leading the Bengals to a 2-1 record as their starter and throwing four touchdowns with no interceptions in their final three games.
Lewis will try to establish a strong ground game early against Pittsburgh, as that will alleviate pressure on his young quarterback. Running backs Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard both can move the ball for the Bengals offense, and Hill has scored a team-high 11 rushing touchdowns.
Steelers against Bengals is always an exciting rivalry game, and both teams know what's at stake Saturday in this highly anticipated wildcard matchup.
Where To Watch: CBS at 8:15 p.m. Eastern time.
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Cincinnati Bengals Radio Broadcast: click here.
Pittsburgh Steelers Radio Broadcast: click here.
