There's an AFC North battle tonight in Week 2's Monday Night Football meeting. Where will you be? Here's the schedule with TV info regarding the channel, game time and find out who will be hitting the field in this division rivalry.
Where to Watch? TV- Channel: ESPN
Game Time: 8:40 p.m.
Matchup: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cincinnati Bengals
The Steelers are coming off a tough home opener where they lost to the Tennessee Titans 16-9. The Steelers had a tough time producing offense, getting mediocre production from their new running back, LaRod Stephens-Howling and Ben Roethlisberger, who finished with less than 200 passing yards in that game. Anytime your defense holds the opposition to only 16 points, the offense should respond, but that was not the case in Week 1.
For the Bengals, Week 1 saw the same result (a loss), but it was the defense who could not hold it late for the orange and black. Monday night, with the crowd behind them as they play their home opener, the Bengals should get an overall better performance from their entire team. Cincinnati lost to the Chicago Bears in the fourth quarter, as their defense could not defend the end zone. To the Bengals' defense, when Brandon Marshall is at the top of his game, he's one of the better and toughest wide receivers to defend.
Heading into this matchup, the Bengals have the advantage. Their running game was not superb in Week 1, but with Andy Dalton entering his third year and leading the Bengals' offense, Cincinnati looks primed for a big victory. He connected with A.J. Green nine times for 162 yards and two touchdowns in Week 1. However, look for the Steelers to make the adequate adjustments as they have always been a tough defensive team.
Not that Dalton is better than Roethlisberger, that was never stated. However, the Steelers are still looking for solutions on offense. Last week, Roethlisberger's leading receiver was Antonio Brown, who caught five catches for 71 yards, followed by Emmanuel Sanders who was Roethlisberger's favorite target, going for seven catches and 57 yards. Both receivers are great, but they are not the superstar that Green is for the Bengals.
If the Steelers' defense does not step up, then look for the Bengals to have a field day on offense. If the Steelers' defense proves impenetrable, then the Bengals will have a tough time getting anything on defense, especially through the air.
Check out ESPN tonight for live coverage of this Week 2 MNF matchup.
Predictions: Bengals Win 27-19
