The last time the Steelers faced the Bengals in Cincinnati in the postseason, Ben Roethlisberger was a bright-eyed 23-year-old two years removed from being the quarterback at Miami of Ohio.
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The bottom line though, is who do you trust more to win a playoff game: Ben Roethlisberger, or Marvin Lewis?
It’s been awhile since the Pittsburgh Steelers won a playoff game. “He said he remembered”.
“I feel like this is comfortable”, he said.
“We left that behind us”, Gilbert said. “I get to go home to my house every day and see my wife and the little dog and sit on the couch and watch (game) film and make her watch some”. “It’s just wonderful how full circle things have come”.
Pittsburgh Steelers will play the (12-4) Cincinnati Bengals Saturday night on the road at Paul Brown Stadium in one of the two AFC Wild Card games and here are the six biggest storylines now surrounding the playoff game between two teams that don’t really like each other. Being as the Steelers four-man rush hasn’t been all that this season, Butler again needs to blitz heavily and send numbers after McCarron Saturday night. This is 15 more than they had last season.
The newest models have pushed the forecast for the Bengals’ AFC Wild Card Game from wet to VERY wet. Mistake free football and the Bengals have a shot…mistakes, and it’s anyone’s game. On Cincinnati’s second play from scrimmage, Bengals’ quarterback Carson Palmer completed a 66-yard pass to Chris Henry. If the run game is completely unsuccessful, the Bengals’ pass rush could rain on Pittsburgh’s passing parade, and things could get ugly fast.
– Lewis is tied with Marty Schottenheimer, Mora and Owen for most consecutive playoff losses at any point in a head coaching career.
The Steelers still have four players remaining from that team – Roethlisberger, tight end Heath Miller, linebacker James Harrison and long snapper Greg Warren.
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). Cincinnati hasn’t won a playoff game since the 1990 season. We don’t have enough time for that.
Pittsburgh’s number two back DeAngelo Williams has also been sidelined through practices this week after suffering a foot injury Sunday against the Browns.
Unfortunately, though, while the Steelers did earn that playoff spot, they’ll have to start their Super Bowl journey without the services of Williams in the backfield. “But we expect those guys to be capable of delivering winning football for us, just like we expected DeAngelo to provide winning football for us when he stepped in for Le’Veon (Bell)”.
The same could be said of McCarron.
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Steelers offensive tackle Marcus Gilbert tweeted after that game: “All I want for Christmas is the Bengals”. We all do. The sky is the limit for him.
