The Cincinnati Bengals were the best team in the division in 2021 and the Pittsburgh Steelers are not going to be the team to knock them off the top.
With their AFC North title defense about to start, the Cincinnati Bengals are going to have a target on their back. The division is set to boast some of the top talent in the NFL with all four teams looking to compete for Wild Card spots or the division crown. Even with this immense amount of talent, the stripes should once again be able to rise to the top.
There are a few teams that should be able to compete with Cincinnati, but the Pittsburgh Steelers are not that team. Even though the Steelers have had the Bengals’ number the last few years, this will not be that year. The Steelers are headed in the opposite direction from Cincinnati and could find themselves in the basement of the AFC North while the good guys should be able to win the division again.
Things are looking like the Bengals are going to be on the right side of this rivalry for the foreseeable future, and this year, here are three advantages the reigning AFC champs have over the Steelers.
Quarterback
Joe Burrow is a star. Since he joined the Bengals, he has carried the team to new heights. He was able to turn around a franchise that had spent years dwelling at the bottom of the NFL. He led the stripes to the Super Bowl and was one play away from winning the game. An additional year removed from injury will allow Burrow to continue to elevate his game.
On the flip side, the Steelers are in quarterback purgatory. With the retirement of Big Ben, the Steelers are entering a season without a good option behind center. Mitch Trubisky is likely to be the starter entering the season and that does not bode well for Pittsburgh. Trubisky had plenty of ups and downs in Chicago but did not do enough to hang on to the starting job there.
The Bengals are entering the season with the ability to make another Super Bowl run and their quarterback is a huge reason why. The quarterback play is going to determine the winner the two times the Steelers play the Bengals, and Cincinnati has a clear advantage.
Offensive Weapons
The Cincinnati Bengals have the best trio of wide receivers. With Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd there is no comparable tandem in the NFL. The Bengals also boast a top 10 running back to compare with their passing attack and an overhauled offensive line.
Cincinnati has the potential to be one of the best offenses in the league.
The Pittsburgh Steelers do have a lot of talent on the offensive side of the ball, there’s no debating that. Najee Harris is one of the best running backs in the game and one of the few that could say they are better than Joe Mixon. The Steelers also have a talented group of receivers and tight ends. However, the depth just does not compare to Cincinnati.
While the Steelers are good, the Bengals are just better. In what should be a competitive division every advantage is huge and Cincinnati has the edge in overall offense.
The overall depth on offense is going to be a huge reason the Bengals will be better than the Steelers in 2022.
Headed in opposite directions
For the first time in a long time, the Cincinnati Bengals are entering a season with a good deal of excitement. Last year, the stripes entered the season hoping to do enough to make the playoffs and ended up blowing past every expectation. This season, Bengals Nation is expecting another division title and a deep run in the playoffs.
The Steelers are entering their first season in over 15 years where Ben Roethlisberger is not going to be leading the team. The uncertainty is new for Pittsburgh.
A team on edge is more likely to turn on each other and look to the future when things get difficult. The Steelers could be looking at their first losing season and that pressure is going to affect their play.
The Bengals are moving in the right direction and have shored up the holes on their roster to attempt another Super Bowl run. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh is hoping to not flounder and end up at the bottom of the AFC North.
The trajectory is going to be a huge advantage for the Bengals over the Steelers.
What other advantages do the Bengals have over the Steelers?