The Bengals travel to the west coast off a mini-bye for another primetime matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers. LA enters Week 11 with a 6-3 record. Winners of three straight and four of their last five, the Chargers currently occupy the sixth seed in the AFC playoff race.
The Cincinnati Bengals enter Week 13 fresh off a bye week and will host the 8-3 Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers go into Cincinnati after a 24-19 loss to the Browns in Cleveland on Thursday Night Football.
Steelers Offense
The Pittsburgh offense entered 2024 with two new signal callers as Russell Wilson and Justin Fields have both seen action under center. Wilson, injured the first six weeks of the season, took over for Fields in Week 7. The former Seahawks and Broncos QB has been smart with the football, boasting a 7-2 TD-INT ratio. Per PFF, he has committed three turnover-worthy plays since Week 7, tied with a group of quarterbacks for the eighth-lowest in the NFL. However, all three have come when Wilson was under pressure, and his 53.3 pass grade under pressure ranks 17th among QBs with at least 50 dropbacks, per PFF.
Wilson hasn't been afraid to fire the ball downfield, posting a 9.9 average depth of target, the fifth-highest figure in the league since Week 7. His 10 "big-time throws" in that time frame rank fourth, per PFF, trailing Bengals QB Joe Burrow by one. The Steelers haven't completely gone away from Fields, as he's played 10 snaps the last two weeks in a change-of-pace role.
Pittsburgh has been cognizant about getting the ball to their WR1, George Pickens. The third-year wideout from Georgia ranks ninth in the NFL with 82 targets and is tied for 11th with 52 receptions. Among receivers with at least 25 targets, his 81.1 offensive grade ranks 14th.
On the ground, Pittsburgh deploys a two-headed attack of Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. Harris has a 79.0 PFF rush grade, ranking 20th among all running backs. He also ranks sixth among running backs with 566 yards after contact, averaging 2.96 yards after contact per attempt. As a team, the Steelers are top-10 in rushing yards, but they average just 3.9 yards per carry, the fifth-lowest in the league.
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Steelers Defense
The Steelers defense has been their key to success this season. Its 80.4 defensive grade ranks third in the NFL, while its 90.3 pass-rush grade ranks first.
Pittsburgh's stalwarts on the defensive line — T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward — are tied with a 90.0 pass-rush grade, the eighth-highest figure among defenders with at least 25 pass-rush snaps, per PFF. Watt ranks in the top-10 with 7.5 sacks, but it's Heyward that leads the Steelers with 38 total pressures. The two are supplemented by Nick Herbig and Alex Highsmith. Herbig has the best PFF pass-rush grade on the team, a92.0 grade that ranks seventh among all defenders. Highsmith isn't too far behind with an 84.6 pass-rush grade and 24 total pressures. Highsmith has missed Pittsburgh's last two games with an ankle injury.
On the back end, the Steelers have the 15th-ranked PFF coverage grade as a team. Their best cover corner in terms of snaps played is Joey Porter Jr., who has allowed 31 receptions on 47 targets but justone touchdown.
The Steelers allow four yards per carry to opposing offenses, the fifth-lowest total in the league. A sound tackling team, Pittsburgh boasts the second-highest PFF team-tackling grade with a 72.6 grade.
Finally, the Steelers have relied heavily on their special teams for success. Kicker Chris Boswell leads the NFL in points this season and has made 93.9% of his field-goal attempts and 100% of his extra points. Boswell won their Week 11 game against the Baltimore Ravens, drilling six field goals in the 18-16 victory. He also hit six field goals in the team's Week 1 18-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons. As a unit, the Steelers have posted a 90.1 PFF special teams grade, the third-best in th
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