Steelers' Mike Tomlin Is Already Looking To Cash In On A Small Victory Against The Bengals

The Pittsburgh Steelers are gearing up for their third straight AFC North matchup in 2024 as they will face the Cincinnati Bengals on the road. They collected their first loss of the Russell Wilson era on Thursday Night Football and are looking to get back on track in Cincy. Head Coach Mike Tomlin feels that he has the edge on the Bengals, especially what they are going to do on offense.

During his weekly press conference, Tomlin spoke about the Bengals' offense. He understands the threats that the Steelers have to focus on, especially at the wide out positions. He also gave out a little nugget about what the Bengals have loved to run against Pittsburgh in their last six meetings.

"Screens have been a challenge for us against them in recent years," said Tomlin. "I looked at the screen reel this morning and I think they run 23 screens of some description against us in the last six games. To put some perspective on how big that component of play is."

Tomlin is already letting the Bengals know that he is going to be ready for that component of their pass game on Sunday. With linebackers like Patrick Queen, Elandon Roberts, and Payton Wilson, the Steelers' coaching staff has full trust that those three can blow up that portion of the pass game in Week 13.

The Bengals' offense is currently the sixth best in the NFL when it comes to scoring points, averaging 27 points per game. With receivers like Ja'Marr Chase, who is currently leading the NFL in receiving yards and touchdowns this season, and Tee Higgins coming back from injury, the Bengals wide receivers are not the only weapons that the Steelers need to worry about. 

Chase Brown has become a nice weapon out of the backfield for them as well. Brown is in his second year with the Bengals and is picking up right where Joe Mixon left off. Not only is he a threat in the run game, he is proven to be a lethal weapon in the passing attack. He is currently third in receptions on the team with 35, adding 207 yards and two touchdowns. In a game that Tomlin expects that Cincinnati will lean towards Brown in the screen game, he is showing that isn't a player to be overshadowed by Chase and Higgins.

With the AFC North still a tight race between the Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens, Tomlin has to try to find wins in every aspect of the game. Knowing that the Bengals want to incorporate their running back in the pass game with screens could lead to negative plays if the Steelers can read them properly. With the mass improvements to the linebacker room signing Queen and drafting Wilson viewed as one of the biggest steals of the draft, Tomlin seems confident that he has the personnel to contain the screens compared to seasons past.

Tomlin is showing his hand a bit to the Bengals, but knowing him, it's going right into his mind games he loves to play. He may hope to see Cincinnati test the screen game early, seeing if Pittsburgh is truly ready for it. If the Steelers are able to stuff it, they may scrap that portion of their gameplan. Those are the small victories that Tomlin loves to win and believes gives his team the edge each week.

Steelers Are Taking Advantage Of Their Mini-Bye Week As They Prepare For Cincinnati

The Steelers' coaching staff is trying to prepare their team much better than they did against the Cleveland Browns. With a chance to add another win in divisional play and hopefully add some distance between them and the Ravens, they are doing their best to get their team ready for every situation that they will face. The screen game in Tomlin's mind is a must stop to help lead to Pittsburgh's success in Week 13. While a lot of the attention will still be centered around the leading receiver in the NFL, Tomlin is looking to winning the small battles throughout the game.

Do you think the coaching staff will have the Steelers prepared for Cincinnati? How worried are you about Brown in the pass game? Let us know what you think in the comments below!

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