2016 Wild Card: Steelers at Bengals

Game day from Cincinnati, OH.
Countdown to Kickoff:
http://www.steelers.com/news/countdo...d-663cb9c50478
"Countdown to kickoff: Steelers at Bengals
Posted 8 hours ago
By Mike Prisuta
The Steelers head to Cincinnate to take on the Bengals in an AFC Wild Card game.
Here is some information to get you prepared for Saturday's Steelers-Bengals Wild Card Game in Cincinnati.
Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6) vs. Cincinnati Bengals (12-4)
Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016
Paul Brown Stadium
8:15 p.m.
CBS
VIEW GALLERY | 20 Photos
PHOTOS: Steelers-Bengals Statistical Leaders
SERIES HISTORY: Steelers lead, 56-35 (Steelers lead, 1-0, postseason)
LAST MEETING: Steelers 33, Bengals 20, Dec. 13, 2015, Paul Brown Stadium: The Steelers knocked Bengals QB Andy Dalton out of the game and ended up with three interceptions on the way to earning a split of the season series with Cincinnati. RB DeAngelo Williams had a pair of rushing TDs and CB William Gay returned an interception 23 yards for a touchdown. Bengals QB AJ McCarron completed 22 of 32 passes for 280 yards and two touchdowns and was intercepted twice in relief of Dalton.
LAST TIME OUT: The Steelers beat the Browns, 28-12, in Cleveland. The Bengals took care of the Ravens, 24-16, in Cincinnati.
WHEN THE BENGALS HAVE THE BALL: They’ll attack the Steelers the way they usually do. The potential difference this time is OC Hue Jackson’s play sheet might not resemble the Hong Kong phone book the way it normally does due to McCarron’s presence at QB rather than Dalton. McCarron is working off of a much smaller menu and might not rely on the same diversity of formation but he has the arm strength to make all the throws and the presence to make all the plays. In the three starts that followed his relief appearance against the Steelers, McCarron has made good decisions and he’s protected the ball (four TD passes, 0 interceptions). There’s a chance he’ll be out of his element in his first postseason start due to his inexperience but McCarron’s background is that of a big-game QB that won championships at Alabama.
RBs Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard have combined for 1,524 rushing yards and 13 rushing TDs (11 for Hill). The Bengals made no secret of their desire to run the ball against the Ravens when they repeatedly brought in rookie OT and No. 1 pick Cedric Ogbuehi as a second TE and lined up rookie OT and No. 2 pick Jake Fisher (he wore No. 44 and played H-B due to Ryan Hewitt’s unavailability) in front of Hill. Cincinnati isn’t opposed to playing power ball when the mood strikes. The Bengals ran it 27 times and threw it 27 times against the Ravens.
WR A.J. Green had 17 catches, 250 receiving yards and two TDs in the two games against the Steelers this season. TE Tyler Eifert, often overlooked by defenses to a degree due to the Bengals’ array of weapons at WR and RB, had 13 TD receptions in 13 games (Eifert played nine snaps in the Bengals’ loss to the Steelers in December). And WR Mohamed Sanu can run it out of the Wildcat or on end-arounds or pass it with effectiveness. Cincinnati went 0-for-9 on third down against Baltimore and still possessed the ball for 30:47.
WHEN THE STEELERS HAVE THE BALL: They’ll see a secondary that didn’t have CB Adam Jones and SS George Iloka the last time the two teams met, which means the big plays that were tough to come by in the first two games against Cincinnati ought to be even more difficult to achieve this time. The Steelers did a good job of taking what the defense had been giving for the most part in the first two meetings. Taking care of the ball and avoiding the temptation to force it down the field figures to be even more essential for the Steelers this time.
The defensive line is led by DE Carlos Dunlap (13.5 sacks) and DT Geno Atkins (10). It’s a deep group that’s counted upon to penetrate and disrupt in the running game and help generate pressure on the four-man rushes that Bengals favor in the passing game. Rushing four allows the Bengals to drop seven into coverage and cover underneath while protecting against the big play. They don’t blitz often but when they do they usually bring numbers (as opposed to five). LB Vontaze Burfict excels against the run and the pass and has worked his way back to health after making his 2015 debut against the Steelers on Nov. 1. He had a monster game against the Ravens (12 tackles, a tackle for a loss, two quarterback hits, two passes defensed and an interception).
Veteran nickel CB and former first-round pick Leon Hall has been in and out of the lineup due to concussion/back issues (he played about half of the game against the Ravens). Third-year CB Chris Lewis-Harris plays the slot when Hall can’t. And third-year S Shawn Williams (6-foot, 200 pounds) has seen some time when a bigger sub-package presence is required (Williams had an interception in the Bengals’ win in Pittsburgh. The longest completion the Bengals allowed the Steelers in the first meeting was 25 yards. The longest completion Cincinnati surrendered in the second game was 31 yards. TE Heath Miller had a combined 20 catches for 171 yards in the two games.
SPECIAL-TEAMS HEADLINERS: Jones averaged 11.2 yards on 16 punt returns and 23.5 yards on 10 kickoff returns but has given way of late to WR Brandon Tate due to injury concerns. K Mike Nugent is 10-for-13 on field goal attempts from 40-49 yards away and 2-for-3 from 50 yards out. The Bengals have had one punt blocked and have blocked two field goals this season. Cincinnati hasn’t allowed a punt or kickoff to be returned for a touchdown and hasn’t produced one, either.
THE X-FACTOR: Who will protect the football? The Steelers went 8-1 this season when winning takeaway/giveaway, 2-0 when the turnovers were even and 0-5 when they turned the ball over more than their opponent. And the Bengals are 70-15-1 all-time under head coach Marvin Lewis with a plus turnover differential, 26-20-1 when even and 16-59-1 with more giveaways than takeaways.
THEY SAID IT: “Just go out there and play hard, play physical. Just go out there and hunt. That’s kind of our motto in here, we just want to go hunt.” _ RB Fitz Toussaint, who played for the Ravens last year, on the approach necessary to beat a division champ on the road in the first round of the postseason, as the Ravens did against the Steelers last season."
10 Things to Watch for:
http://www.steelers.com/news/article...1-271652f66c5b
"10 things to watch for at Cincinnati
Posted 5 hours ago
By Mike Prisuta
Here are a few things to keep an eye on when the Steelers face the Bengals on Wild Card Weekend.
What to keep an eye on in the AFC Wild Card Game against the Bengals:
VIEW GALLERY | 20 Photos
PHOTOS: Steelers-Bengals Statistical Leaders
RED-ZONE SHOWDOWN: The Bengals’ offense finished fifth in red zone efficiency (scoring touchdowns 65.5 percent of the time) and the Steelers were No. 6 in red zone defense (allowing TDs 49.1 percent of the time). The Steelers also led the NFL in opponents’ trips inside the 20-yard line that resulted in zero points (14) and came up with seven red zone takeaways (tied for No. 1 in the NFL), including a league-leading six red zone interceptions (two against Bengals QB Andy Dalton). The Steelers were 10th in red zone offense (60.7) and the Bengals were fifth in red zone defense (47.4).
KEEP TRACK OF THE BACKS: The Bengals’ 20-17 overtime loss on Dec. 28 at Denver snapped a streak of 22 consecutive victories when Cincinnati had at least 30 rushing attempts (33). The Bengals were 8-1 in such instances this season and are 81-15 all-time under head coach Marvin Lewis (.844). Cincinnati is 37-2 under Lewis (.949) when one running back has at least 25 carries (0-0 this season) and 41-7-1 under Lewis (.846) when a back rushes for 100 or more yards (1-0 this season).
TOP 5 CONFRONTATION: The Steelers finished tied for fourth in the NFL in scoring offense (26.4 points per game). The Bengals were No. 2 in scoring defense (17.4).
FIND REGGIE, AVOID REGGIE: Bengals FS Reggie Nelson had three of his NFL-leading eight interceptions (tied with KC CB Marcus Peters) at Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger’s expense. Nelson had two INTs in Cincinnati’s 16-10 victory over the Steelers on Nov. 1 in Pittsburgh and another in the Steelers’ 33-20 win on Nov. 15 at Paul Brown Stadium.
BEN TO THE END: Roethlisberger has authored three fourth quarter/overtime game-winning drives among his 10 career playoff victories (10-5, .667), including one that beat the Arizona Cardinals, 27-23, in Super Bowl XLIII.
BEN TO THE END, PART II: The Steelers led the NFL with 92 points inside the two-minute mark of a half this season (65 at the end of a first half, 27 at the conclusion of a second half).
IT MAY COME TO PASS: The Steelers and Bengals were two of the toughest teams to rush for first downs against in 2015. The Steelers finished tied for second in allowing 71 runs that moved the chains. The Bengals finished tied for fourth in that category at 74.
THE LONGEST YARDS: The Steelers and Bengals were also two of the NFL’s stingiest teams in goal-to-go situations. The Bengals were No. 2, allowing touchdowns 50 percent of the time (8-for-16). The Steelers were No. 4 at 53.3 percent (16-for-30).
TAKE IT AWAY: The Bengals finished third in the NFL with 21 interceptions and the Steelers tied for sixth with 17.
PLAY FOR FOUR QUARTERS: The Bengals have been outscored in third and fourth quarters by a combined 57-6 in their last four playoff games (all losses). Cincinnati trailed Houston at the half, 17-10, in 2011 and lost, 31-10. The Bengals trailed the Texans at the half, 9-7, in 2012 and lost, 19-13. Cincinnati was ahead at the break against San Diego, 10-7, in 2013 but lost, 27-10. And the Bengals trailed Indianapolis at the half, 13-10, in 2014 and lost, 26-10."
Noteworthy Stats:
http://www.steelers.com/news/article...9-be4b4951fece
"Noteworthy stats for Wild Card Weekend
Posted 1 hour ago
Some stats to keep an eye on when the Steelers and Bengals meet up in the playoffs.
VIEW GALLERY | 20 Photos
PHOTOS: Steelers-Bengals Statistical Leaders
QB BEN ROETHLISBERGER
• Is 16 passing yards from 3,500 in his postseason career.
• Needs 21 pass completions to record 300 in his postseason career and to become the first quarterback in Steelers history with 300 in the postseason.
• Would improve to 11-5 all-time as a starter in the postseason with a win.
• Two or more touchdown passes to register his eighth career multi-touchdown passing game in the postseason.
• Would record his third 300-yard playoff game with 300 yards (337 vs. Jacksonville, 1/5/2008 and 334 vs. Baltimore, Jan. 3, 2015).
• With 300 passing yards, would tie Terry Bradshaw (3) for the most 300-yard games in Steelers postseason history.
WR ANTONIO BROWN
• Needs 23 receiving yards to tally 300 in his postseason career.
• Will record the first touchdown catch of his postseason career with a scoring grab.
RB DeANGELO WILLIAMS
• Will record the first touchdown run of his postseason career with a rushing score.
TE HEATH MILLER
• Is four catches from 50 in his postseason career.
• Needs one touchdown catch to post the fifth of his postseason career and to become the fifth Steelers player with at least five postseason scoring receptions.
LB JAMES HARRISON
• Needs a half-sack to tally his seventh sack in postseason history."
Wild Card Coverage:
http://www.steelers.com/news/article...5-39ae234d5baf
"Steelers Wild Card Game coverage
Posted 2 minutes ago
How to follow the Steelers' AFC Wild Card Game from wherever you are.
AFC Wild Card Round
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Paul Brown Stadium
Kickoff: 8:15 p.m.
Radio
WDVE-FM (102.5)
Stream: Steelers.com & Steelers Nation Radio
For a complete list of our radio affiliates, click here
Steelers Radio Broadcast Team
Play-By-Play: Bill Hillgrove
Color Analyst: Tunch Ilkin
Sideline Reporter: Craig Wolfley
Pregame Show: 4:00-8:00 p.m.
Postgame Show: Immediately following the game

TV
CBS (KDKA-TV)
Broadcast Team
Play-By-Play: Jim Nantz
Color Analyst: Phil Simms
Sideline Reporter: Tracy Wolfson
KDKA Pregame Show: 6:30-7:30 p.m.
KDKA Postgame Show: Immediately following the game

International fans can watch live on NFL Game Pass.
Domestic residents can watch replay on the following day on NFL Game Pass.

Follow the game on social media:
Steelers.com Game Center, click here
Twitter: @steelers
Facebook: Pittsburgh Steelers
Instagram: @steelers
Snapchat: steelers"