Where: Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio (turf, outdoors)
When: Sunday, 8:30 p.m. ET (NBC)
Spread: Steelers by 1.5
Forecast: Temperatures expected in the low 50s at kickoff with no chance of rain.
Records: Bengals (Overall: 3-3, AFC North: 1-2), Steelers (Overall: 2-3, AFC North 0-0)
Past results: Two most recent regular-season meetings: Nov. 13, 2011: Steelers 24, Bengals 17; Dec. 4, 2011: Steelers 35, Bengals 7. Series record: Steelers lead 52-32.
What matters: Nobody wants to be the loser in this game. Both teams are reeling and in desperate need of a victory to gain momentum and stay within shouting distance of the 5-1 Ravens. As early season implications go, few come bigger than this one. The only saving grace for both teams is the 3-3 logjam in the AFC, but for the Bengals entering the teeth of their schedule the next three games (Steelers, Broncos, Giants), getting a win here would be essential. A.J. Green went so far as to call this a “must-win.” And considering the Bengals are 2-3 in the division and tiebreakers could loom large come playoff time, this draws added significance.
Who matters: DE Carlos Dunlap. With Pittsburgh right tackle Marcus Gilbert expected to miss Sunday's game, an already shaky Steelers line will be vulnerable. Pittsburgh has been fairly one-dimensional with the arm of Ben Roethlisberger carrying them through the early season. If Dunlap can whip rookie Mike Adams consistently, the Bengals defense can knock the Steelers offense off kilter.
Key matchups: CB Leon Hall vs. Antonio Brown or Mike Wallace. Hall enters with the reputation of a technician on the edge but has found himself on the wrong side of explosive plays at times this year. Pittsburgh relies heavily on the deep ball. Consider: three of Wallace's four touchdowns this season have come from 20 or more yards out with an average distance of 36 yards. Last season, Brown dismantled the Bengals with seven receptions for 153 yards in two games. One chunk at a time, he made them pay. Hall must keep those two in front of him for the Bengals to have a chance.
“He's big, he's physical,” Brown said of Hall. “He's going to try to get his hands on me. He does a good job in disrupting routes and playing off in cover-2 and being aggressive.”
Injuries of note: The Bengals will likely be without third-down RB Brian Leonard (ribs). RB Bernard Scott was placed in IR two weeks ago and the Bengals haven't made a roster move since. If Leonard doesn't play, Cincinnati will be left with starter BenJarvus Green-Ellis and special teams ace Cedric Peerman as the only true backs. If something happened to either, FB Chris Pressley would play running back, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said.
Inside stuff: Expect a change at the wide receiver position opposite A.J. Green. The team struggled mightily the last three games to find production to take heat off their top wideout. Armon Binns has started every game and taken 75 percent of the offensive snaps, but look for more from rookie fifth-round pick Marvin Jones. He shined during the preseason and played well in limited snaps. Offensive coordinator Jay Gruden would like to see fresher legs on whatever wide receivers are out there, so look for him to dig deeper into his stable than in previous weeks.
What not to expect: Bengals interceptions. Cincinnati owns but two interceptions against 192 passes this season. On the flip side, Roethlisberger only has thrown two interceptions all season against 10 touchdowns.
Connections: Lewis rose in the ranks through the Steelers system, and legendary Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau spent 16 years in the Cincinnati organization before being let go as head coach in 2002 following a 2-14 season.
Since LeBeau took over as Pittsburgh defensive coordinator in 2004, he's made the Bengals pay for firing him. The Steelers are 13-4 against Cincinnati since then, and LeBeau has held the Bengals to 14 points or less eight times.
Stats that make Bengals fans cry: The Bengals have lost eight consecutive games against Pittsburgh and Baltimore.
Stats that make Bengals fans cry, Part II: The Steelers have only lost once in 10 games at Paul Brown Stadium since Lewis took over the team in 2003.
And one more bad stat for the Bengals: The Bengals have lost eight consecutive games on prime-time TV dating back to the season opener of 2007 against the Ravens.
Looking ahead: Losing to Cleveland and Miami the last two weeks stings worse when looking at a schedule that features the Steelers, Broncos and Giants the next three games. Fortunately for the Bengals, they'll have a bye this week to prepare for the brutal stretch.
Prediction: Bengals 20, Steelers 17.
Follow Paul Dehner Jr. for Bengals updates on Twitter @CBSBengals.
