Bengals vs Steelers: Breaking down the Week 1 announcers

The Cincinnati Bengals begin their quest to repeat as AFC champions this Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. For all of the hype around the AFC North last year, these two teams were the only two to represent the division in the playoffs with the Bengals making it all the way to the Super Bowl.

The tide of the rivalry appears to be changing, as the Bengals have won their last three games against the Steelers. Before this changing of the guards, however, Pittsburgh owned the rivalry and Big Ben himself only lost to the Bengals 10 times in his career, with three of those losses coming since the 2020 season.

Not only are the Bengals a formidable opponent now but the Steelers could find themselves in the situation the stripes were in for quite some time. Ben Roethlisberger retired and now the Steelers are starting former No. 2 overall pick Mitch Trubisky at quarterback with rookie first-rounder Kenny Pickett as the backup. Mason Rudolph is also still on the roster.

Meanwhile, the Bengals enter the 2022 season with an explosive offense consisting of third-year quarterback Joe Burrow, stud receivers Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd, and versatile running back Joe Mixon. Oh, not to mention the offensive line is upgraded now too. That was the Bengals' biggest weakness in 2021 and hopefully, it won't be an issue for the reigning AFC champs this year as they look to make it back to the big game.

Broadcast crew for Bengals vs. Steelers Week 1

With all of the changes for both of these teams, who will be in the broadcast booth when the reigning AFC champs take the field against their hated foe?

According to Audacy, Bengals fans will get to hear the voices of Ian Eagle, Charles Davis, and Evan Washburn as they kick off for the first time in the 2022 regular season. The No. 1 CBS broadcast team of Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, and Tracy Wolfson will be in Arizona for the Cardinals/Chiefs game while the No. 2 crew of Kevin Harlan, Trent Green, and Melanie Collins will be in Los Angeles as the Chargers host the Raiders.

Obviously, fans would have rather had one of the top broadcasting crews but it's not surprising as to why they drew Eagle/Davis/Washburn. The game should be competitive but it's not the most exciting game of the week, that's for sure.

How do you feel about this broadcast team?