NFL Football Betting: Cincinnati vs Pittsburgh

Cincinnati Bengals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers 1:00 ET

AFC North rivals will get it on with first place in the division on the line on Sunday afternoon when the Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2, 3-5 ATS) in Week 10 NFL betting action. The Bengals won the first meeting between these two squads 23-20 on September 27th, but the Steelers are out for revenge and the top spot in the AFC North. Should Cincinnati take this football betting affair, it will essentially have a game and a half lead on Pittsburgh, as it will own the tiebreaker having swept the season series.

BetUS Sports book has a line of Pittsburgh (-7) and an over/under of 41.5.

The Bengals posted yet another very impressive victory last week when they took out the Ravens 17-7 to sweep that season series. The defense was ferocious against the pass, as QB Joe Flacco only went 18/32 for 195 yards with two interceptions for Baltimore. Cincinnati smacked the Ravens right in the mouth on both sides of the line of scrimmage as well. The rushing attack Baltimore only mustered 55 yards on 17 carries.

On the other side of the ball, RB Cedric Benson slammed through the holes paved by his offensive line 34 times for 117 yards with a touchdown. To further prove their dominance, Cincy's defensive line recorded four sacks. Everything else was going so well that QB Carson Palmer didn't need to be spectacular. He was respectable though, completing 20 of 33 passes for 224 yards and a TD against one of the most imposing defenses in the league.

Even though Pittsburgh clearly has one eye on the Bengals, the boys in black and gold have to think that they are capable of earning a bye week in the playoffs in the AFC. Last week, the Steelers took a critical step in that direction by putting forth a dominant second half performance in a 28-10 victory over the Broncos. It was the fifth straight 'W' for them SU since losing to Cincinnati.

It was just another day in the office for the "Blitzburgh" defense. Denver couldn't get anything going on the ground (14 carries for 27 yards) and QB Kyle Orton went 23/38 for 221 yards with three interceptions. The 'D' didn't allow an offensive touchdown, but did get on the board itself with DB Tyrone Carter's pick six in the second quarter. QB Ben Roethlisberger had another stellar night to improve his case to be the league's MVP, throwing for 233 yards and three scores. The hero though, was RB Rashard Mendenhall, who continued to impress running for 155 yards on 22 carries.

The bottom line in this game is that there's too much going for the Steelers to fail. It's hard to imagine that they're taking Cincy lightly after getting beaten earlier in the season. Pittsburgh may have allowed 23 points, but it held the Bengals to 273 total yards for the entire game. A similar defensive showing on Sunday should lead to another big victory for the hosts.

Rose's Recommendation: 4* Pittsburgh Steelers

Rating Scale 1* - 5*