Month: November 2024

Steel City Underground scouts the Pittsburgh Steelers’ opponents each week of the 2024 NFL regular season ahead of the games to inform fans of the latest news, roster moves, important players, and latest social media chatter.

The Cincinnati Bengals (4-7) host the Pittsburgh Steelers (8.-3) at Paycor Stadium on Sunday, December 1, (1:00 p.m. Eastern) in what will be the third AFC North divisional match in as many weeks for the Steelers. The Bengals are coming off their bye week while the Steelers enter after their win streak ended with a loss against the Cleveland Browns in Week 12 of the 2024 NFL regular season.

In the past, the Bengals and Steelers have played physical football and Week 13’s game is expected to be highly competitive despite official statistics and past performances.

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Concerns over Burrow?

If you ask any of the Steelers players or coaches whether there are concerns about Joe Burrow‘s MVP-like quarterback performance this season, you’ll get responses that echo the sentiment that they had better respect his skill and capabilities because it will take a full-team effort to prevent him from running the field.

As for overall concerns, Burrow brought up, on his own, some regarding his surgically-repaired wrist on his throwing arm this week. “I haven’t experienced a cold weather game with that yet. In the past when I’ve had injuries, cold weather does affect it,” he said on Wednesday. The weather forecast has temps in the low 30s on Sunday.

Burrow has remained on the injury report all season, and is on it for Week 13 as well, but affirmed that his wrist “could have been better” in practice this week. That may be his honest response, but the injury hasn’t prevented him from throwing for 3,028 yards and 27 touchdowns so far this season or his 67.2 completion percentage.

“They’re the dynamic and great offense that they’ve always been… we know that we’ve got to get after them, especially up front. We have to bring a lot of pressure… We’ve just got to be relentless on the defensive side because they’ve got a lot of weapons and they’re a good offense, so we’ve got to get after them.” – Steelers OLB Alex Highsmith

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Bengals on injury report to watch

As of Wednesday, the game designations were yet to be announced due to the Thanksgiving holiday. Fans should check the official injury report ahead of kickoff. The following players were on the list as of early this week:

• LB Joe Bachie (hip, limited)
• OT Orlando Brown, Jr (fibula, limited)
• WR Tee Higgins (NIR-rest)
• DT B.J. Hill (NIR-rest)
• WR Charlie Jones (groin, limited)
• OT Amarius Mims (ankle, limited)
• DT Sheldon Rankins (illness, DNP)
• LB Logan Lee (knee, no report)

Higgins is expected to be a full-go on Sunday, giving Burrow an explosive target against the Steelers.

Steelers week.

Uni Combo | @PennStationSubs pic.twitter.com/yv8qo882mt

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) November 25, 2024

Can the defense limit Wilson and company?

The mood amongst the Bengals defensive players may have been summed up on Monday by safety Vonn Bell when he spoke to the media, saying, “What did I come back here for?” It was a rhetorical question, perhaps, but it seems to point at frustration in the locker room.

Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo has a lot on his shoulders when it comes to figuring out what personnel to use against Russell Wilson and the Steelers offense. Granted, Pittsburgh has struggled to get into the end zone on offense recently, but they’re still stacked with talent and looking for opportunities to strike.

Whether injuries or just inconsistent play, the Bengals defense ranks near the bottom of the league in several categories.

“It’s guys missing their assignments or guys like myself missing opportunities to change the game on turnover plays. It’s been a whole multitude of things.” – cornerback Mike Hilton

The defensive backfield has been a rotating door for the Bengals this season. That could be a major matchup issue against a Steelers squad that has George Pickens, Calvin Austin, Pat Freiermuth, and Mike Williams as their top tier receiver options with talent behind them.

“One thing I’m not gonna do is go out there and chase plays… So whatever it may be, I’ll take the criticism… I definitely have plays where I wish I could take back. Me, I probably had like one or two plays last game. So, it is what it is.” – safety Geno Stone

Fourth-quarter defense has been the biggest reason the Bengals are in the position they are headed into Week 13. The Steelers have found themselves warming up in the second half of games, offensively, which creates a mismatch despite Cincinnati being a three-point favorite to win on Sunday.

Steelers Scouting Report: Cincinnati Bengals, Week 13 appeared first on Steel City Underground.

The Pittsburgh Steelers enter Week 13 of the 2024 NFL regular season looking for a bounce back after their win streak ended against the Cleveland Browns last week. At 8-3, they still hold the top spot in the AFC North but will be on the road to face a Cincinnati Bengals team that wants to make the most out of their opportunities in December after a disappointing opening of their season. We look at five Steelers to watch in the upcoming divisional game.

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Cam Heyward

When December rolls around, veteran players usually step up to express how important it is for their team to play at an even higher tempo that earlier in the season; they have experienced the determination it takes to finish out a season strong.

This week, he vocalized what will be necessary to beat the Bengals, saying,

“We have to bring four-man pressure, five-man pressure, whatever you do, you’ve got to get pressure on (Joe Burrow) because he is elite at extending plays, buying extra time. I talked about (Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase). If you give them a crease, they are going to make a big play.”

Heyward has been playing lights-out along the defensive front for Pittsburgh this season. Expect him to remain busy and involved when the Steelers defense is on the field.

“We’ve got to do a good job of rushing. Guys have to get off blocks, have to keep making moves. And then our defensive backs can’t sell out to stop the run because (Burrow will) dice you up.”

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Russell Wilson

Although he, too, is a veteran, Wilson has never played AFC North teams in back to back to back weeks. His baptism by fire isn’t quite over, so he’ll be looking at improvement of his own at quarterback. The Steelers offense has struggled to get into the end zone, so keep an eye on how well Wilson is able to adjust to the pressure Cincinnati throws at him.

Russell Wilson speaks to the media on Wednesday, Nov. 27 ahead of the Steelers Week 13 game against the Bengals. @PondLehocky pic.twitter.com/1Coaw7PY7H

— Steelers Live (@SteelersLive) November 27, 2024

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The offensive line

There have been struggles, at times, to keep Wilson or Justin Fields clean behind the line of scrimmage, and there have been moments where the run and short-yardage game has suffered due to breakdowns along the offensive line.

What is the solution at this point in the season? “We’ve just got to do a better job with (everyone being on the same page) because if we can get down in the red zone, we can push through the red zone,” tackle Broderick Jones expressed. “We know the talent we have, and we know what we’re capable of. We’ve just got to continue to get better in that aspect of football.”

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The defensive backfield

The Bengals may not have won a lot of games, but they have the talent and ability to be explosive on offense. The Steelers’ defensive backfield has been tested, but they’ll need to be sticky in their coverage on Sunday.

“It’s going to take all 11 guys detailing their job and executing. It’s definitely going to take a full defensive effort because they have a lot of playmakers and a lot of home run hitters.” – Donte Jackson

One of the areas the defensive backs have to be cautious of in the upcoming game in Cincinnati is penalties. Chase is especially slippery on route execution, and that will require the backfield to play clean and maintain their assignments in order to prevent being blown up.

Steelers to watch against the Bengals appeared first on Steel City Underground.

As the Pittsburgh Steelers head into the home stretch of the 2024 regular season, many comparisons and critiques have been made about the offense and the defense. However, one area that is often overlooked is the impact of special teams.

Pittsburgh Steelers special teams coach Danny Smith has been praised as one of the top assistants in the NFL. His players have responded appropriately, creating a splash in several games and steering the Steelers to victory.

Here are several key areas on special teams that have or may impact the remainder of Pittsburgh’s season.

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Field Goal Units

The most obvious special teams plays are usually performed by the kicker, in this case, Chris Boswell. Boswell has been credited many times with being a saving grace for Pittsburgh and rightfully so this season, where the tenured kicker has had two games with six field goal conversions. Most recently, Boswell was the deciding factor in defeating the Baltimore Ravens after Pittsburgh failed to score a touchdown. (Boswell earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for this performance.)

Boswell also had a big game in the Steelers season opener against the Atlanta Falcons, and just like against the Ravens, converted on six total field goals with three of those each coming from 50 yards or more.

An area often overlooked, however, has been the Steelers’ propensity for blocking field goals in games too. Pittsburgh has two such impactful plays this season.

The first was against the Dallas Cowboys when defensive lineman Isaiahh Loudermilk blocked a 38-yard attempt by Brandon Aubrey. Defensive lineman Dean Lowry would also bat down an attempt by New York Jets kicker Greg Zuerlein two weeks later.

Furthermore, the league office told the Steelers there was an incorrect penalty called against Minkah Fitzpatrick during the same Jets game, where Fitzpatrick should’ve had a blocked extra point attempt too. (An incorrect flag negated that play.) Those types of plays can impact the final score: fans should keep that in mind when wagering on the Steelers too. Fans looking to get in on the action will find the best Non UK bookmakers listed on CasinoGap provide risk-seekers with numerous opportunities, including broad market coverage, various Steelers wagering opportunities, and a handful of promotions.

In all, the Steelers field goal units have been spectacular this season and are a threat to uphold any game. Looking around the NFL, several other games have had blocked field goals make a big impact – including the Kansas City Chiefs, then undefeated, walking out of Denver with a last-second victory when they blocked a Broncos attempt. (Keep your eyes open, because the Steelers season may rely on a similar play in the future!)

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Kick and Punt Returns

The Steelers have also seen a major impact made with their return units, specifically with Calvin Austin as a punt returner this season. Austin took a punt 73 yards to the house against the New York Giants back in October, and has been close to breaking other runs throughout the season. His 239 yards on punt returns is already on pace to break the 249 he had last season (and on fewer attempts).

Cordarrelle Patterson was also signed to the Steelers roster this offseason to bolster the team’s return game, especially with the NFL’s new dynamic kickoff rules.

The veteran player is one of the most electric returners of all-time, and is awaiting a major break this season that could happen at anytime.

He may be joined by an underrated recent signing to the roster, Jamal Agnew, who was added to the practice squad back on November 12th. Agnew has a total of six touchdowns returned via punts and kicks since joining the league in 2017. He’s also had kick return longs of 54 and 53 yards over the last two seasons.

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Punting

Teams can live and die by a good punting unit. Coverage teams are especially important in not giving up major field position – or the errant special teams score.

The same can be said of good punters. The Steelers had signed Cameron Johnston to their roster as a key free agent earlier in the year, but he was lost for the season early due to injury and replaced by Corliss Waitman, who is both a veteran in the league and with the Steelers.

Waitman replaced a disappointing Pressley Harvin, and outside of a shanked punt (in terrible weather conditions) against the Browns, has had a solid season. The poor kick against Cleveland is one example of how punting can be paramount to winning games, but overall, Waitman has been far superior to the lacking play of Harvin in previous seasons.

Waitman’s chemistry as a holder for Boswell on field goal and extra point tries has also been flawless. The exchange between he and long snapper Christian Kuntz cannot be overlooked as a contributing factor to Boswell’s success.

Steelers special teams could be key in stretch run of the season appeared first on Steel City Underground.