Steelers Have Shot for Huge Offensive Game vs. Bengals

The Pittsburgh Steelers offense could light up the scoreboard against the Bengals.

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris (22) carries the ball as Cincinnati Bengals cornerback DJ Turner II (20) defends in the third quarter during a Week 16 NFL football game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Pittsburgh Steelersl, Saturday, Dec. 23, 2023, at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pa. / Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers' offense under first-year offensive coordinator Arthur Smith is a rollercoaster the fans don't want to ride anymore. Can the offense find some consistency?

The first loop in the ride occurred when head coach Mike Tomlin controversially decided to bench quarterback Justin Fields and give Russell Wilson the starting job. The offense's passing game quickly improved in Wilson's first start against the New York Jets. However, Wilson's performance declined weekly until the low point of a win over the Baltimore Ravens.

But, a win was a win. Smith threw a corkscrew in the coaster by implementing the mythical "Justin Fields packages" against the Ravens. Last week against the Cleveland Browns, though, the offense clicked better than it did against Baltimore--the offense scored a couple of touchdowns and Fields got even more plays than he did against the Ravens--but the Browns pulled out a game-winning drive to upset their rival.

Now in the thick of AFC North play, the Steelers travel to Cincinnati to play the Bengals (4-7). Lucky for the Steelers, Bengals games are the perfect opportunity for offenses to get-right.

According to Alan Saunders of Steelers Now, games involving the Bengals have averaged 53.9 total points per game, the highest figure in the league.

If that trend holds, the Steelers' offense gets the perfect opportunity on Dec. 1 against the Bengals to produce. That league-leading statistic is due to the Bengals' offense averaging 27 points per game, the sixth most in the league, but their defense giving up 26.9 points per game, the 5th worst in the league.

That leaves a pretty simple explanation for the Bengals' record--great offense, terrible defense. The Bengals have built a reputation for having an elite offense. Based on the Steelers' reputation of being a defensive-focused team that struggles on offense, next Sunday's matchup should be the Bengals' strength against the Steelers'.

Neither reputation is unfair. The Steelers' offense has ranked 21st or lower the last three years and only scored 17.8 points per game last season--good for 28th in the league. Despite consistent lackluster offensive performances, the Steelers famously haven't had a losing season with Tomlin coaching.

The last time the Bengals were even below the league average was in 2020, quarterback Joe Burrow's rookie season where he only played 10 games and star wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase wasn't drafted yet.

But for the Steelers, this season is different. Not only is Pittsburgh's defense great as always as they only give up 16.9 points per game, the fourth-best in the league, but the offense is good now too. The Steelers average 22.9 points per game, 14th in the league. The last time the Steelers left the offensive basement was when they averaged 26.8 points per game in 2018.

Not only do the Steelers get an extra-long week of work to prepare for the Bengals due to playing the Browns last Thursday night, but the Steelers' offense is actually pretty decent especially compared to recent seasons. Considering the Steelers' defense held the Ravens, who average 30.3 points per game, to only 16 points, who's to say the Steelers can't stifle the Bengals on top of a better-than-expected offensive outing?

For four quarters against the Ravens and the first three quarters against the Browns, the Steelers forgot how to score touchdowns. They failed to reach paydirt on five straight redzone trips, leaving the black and gold with a 44.74% redzone-touchdown percentage, the third worst in the league. That's a number the Steelers need to improve if they want to even sniff a Super Bowl. Pointed out by ESPN, only three of the last 40 teams to appear in the Super Bowl had a redzone touchdown percentage lower than 50% (one of those was the 2010 Steelers).

The Bengals are the perfect opponent to raise that mark. Cincinnati gives up a touchdown to opponents in the redzone 70.59% of the time, the second worst in the league. The Steelers are clearly comfortable winning with the leg of placekicker Chris Boswell, but offensive touchdowns always help.

Since the Ravens defeated the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday night, the Steelers' lead of the AFC North is only due to the Ravens recording one more loss and not having their bye week yet. The Steelers need to ride their decent offensive performance against the Browns and parlay it into a productive outing that lights up the scoreboard. Considering the Bengals have experience in shootouts this season, Wilson and the Steelers' offense likely need to be ready to keep up.

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