Left tackle Andrew Whitworth got a customary veteran’s day off. At 4-3, they need a win over the 6-0 Bengals to keep pace in the AFC North division. West entered the league as an undrafted college free agent, part of a group of 400 to 500 similar players that go to training camp each year with about a dozen or so earning employment. The duo did double duty with Ryan Shazier out of the lineup, but Shazier looks good to go against the Bengals.
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As for the rest of the games taking place in Week 8, the ESPN analysts predict the Kansas City Chiefs will beat the Detroit Lions, the New Orleans Saints will beat the New York Giants, the Minnesota Vikings will beat the Chicago Bears, the Baltimore Ravens will beat the San Diego Chargers, and the New York Jets will beat the Oakland Raiders. He’s eligible to return to practice this week, but hasn’t been medically cleared to participate.
The Bengals feel re-energized by their weekend off.
“It’s good to have a little extra time to prepare for a team and not be banged up coming off a game Sunday”, tight end Tyler Eifert said. Not to be outdone, Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger, who makes his return from a four-game absence due to a knee injury, lit Cincinnati up for 667 yards and five touchdowns in those games. It’s unclear how much he’ll be able to move around in the pocket and improvise, which is his strength. With a history of collapsing in big games, the Bengals have played well in clutch situations so far this season, even mounting a come-from-behind win against the tough Seattle Seahawks. That’s why I don’t want to think about the injury, what I’ve had, what I’m wearing and things like that.
The Steelers’ defense looks to recover from a poor performance during last Sunday’s loss at Kansas City.
In several ways, it’ll be a breakthrough if they do.
A few years ago, Roethlisberger might have handled his injury differently, say those who have observed him throughout his career. Jones completed just 16-of-29 passes for 209 yards. It was the fourth consecutive victory in their late-season march toward the playoffs and their eighth in 10 games. And the Bengals realize it.
“Anytime you have a guy of that caliber, it rejuvenates, revitalizes and gets everyone excited”, receiver Antonio Brown said.
Adams reinjured his left ankle against the Chiefs in Week 3 and has missed almost four full games since.
“You have to embrace it”, Kirkpatrick said. “They have a lot of weapons and they’ve been making plays all year”. “It’s nothing personal. But if that don’t wake you up, you’re on the wrong team”.
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Facing a Bengals offense that includes the rushing tandem of Jeremy Hill and Giovanni Bernard, the Steelers now deal with the prospect of asking Thomas to do something he has rarely done during his time with the team: play at a level that warrants time on the field at all, let alone as a starter.
