Steelers vs. Bengals Point Spread: NFL Week 7 Odds, Prediction
The Steelers are in a good run of form, having won four of the first five games this season, while the Bengals are in the midst of a free-fall following a loss to the Green Bay Packers a week ago for their fourth straight defeat.
With the Steelers looking to hold on to first place in the AFC North and the Bengals hoping to turn their season around, let’s get into our Steelers vs Bengals predictions for Thursday.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
Even though they’re playing on the road, the Steelers are favoured by 5.5 points against Cincinnati, and much of that is due to the Bengals’ current situation at quarterback. With this game being played on a short week, it’s not surprising that this total is at 43.5 on the NFL odds board and continues to drop.
The Steelers are 3-2 against the spread this season, while the Bengals are just 2-4 ATS. Games involving the Bengals typically go over the total, with the Over cashing in four of their six games played to this point. Pittsburgh has also generally been an over team, with the Steelers sitting at 3-2 to the Over through its first five games.
Pittsburgh Steelers
It’s been somewhat of a role reversal for Pittsburgh this season, as the Steelers have been a team that has lived and died with its offence to this point. Aaron Rodgers has adapted to his new surroundings nicely, with the veteran quarterback tossing 10 touchdowns to just three interceptions through his first five games in a Pittsburgh uniform.
If anything, the primary concern for Mike Tomlin’s team has been on the defensive side of the ball, where Pittsburgh currently sits at 18th in success rate allowed and is firmly in the middle of the pack in both its pass and rush defence metrics. However, the Steelers shouldn’t have much of a challenge on their hands, given the state of the Bengals offence at the moment.
Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati has been on the struggle bus since the Bengals lost Joe Burrow back in Week 2. It’s clear that this team isn’t going anywhere without its star quarterback this season, and Jake Browning has not experienced the same success he did when coming off the bench in relief for an injured Burrow in 2023.
As a result, the Bengals front office signed Joe Flacco, and he played against the Packers last week, but the outcome didn’t change all that much, as Cincinnati never really had a chance in that game. Flacco may elevate this passing attack a bit, especially since Ja’Marr Chase is still on the field, but it’s hard to see Cincinnati becoming an explosive unit at this stage of the season.
NFL Prediction: Who Will Win Steelers vs. Bengals?
This game could go in several different directions, especially since it’s Thursday Night Football. However, Pittsburgh is still clearly the better team as presently constructed, and it doesn’t help Cincinnati’s case that its offence is so much worse without Burrow at quarterback, especially against a defence that should be rejuvenated and ready to get after the quarterback following an encouraging performance in its last contest.
Don’t expect this game to look all that pretty, but let’s look for the Steelers to take this AFC North clash by a score in the region of 24-17.
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