Will the Cincinnati Bengals win the football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in week 16?

This is one of the most important AFC Matchups this week, and the single biggest game for either team in the final two weeks of the regular season. The playoff hopes for both Cincinnati and Pittsburgh ride on the outcome of this football game.

The Bengals only need 1 win either this week or next to secure their playoff spot. In order to keep the 6th seed spot, the Bengals must win this game. If Cincinnati wins, and the Colts or Ravens lose, they will move up 1 or 2 seed spots.

For Pittsburgh to have any playoff hopes at all they must beat the Bengals or their hopes of post season play are gone. As you can see there is plenty of incentive driving each of them toward the win.

These two teams met in week 7 back on October 21st. Pittsburgh won that game 24 to 17. Cincinnati has won 5 of their last 6 games. The loss they suffered in the last 6 weeks was to Dallas and that was a close one losing by only one point 2 weeks ago. Pittsburgh has lost 4 of their last 6 games.

On the surface these two teams are closely matched in terms of time of possession against their opponents with the Steelers doing a little better with 1st downs. The Cincinnati offense is ranked 18th overall with Pittsburgh sliding in at 19th. Their defenses are actually somewhat close as well with the Steelers holding the #1 overall best ranked defenses and the Bengals at 6th.

I think a lot of this game will be determined by how well either of them can force turnovers and stopping their opponents from getting the first downs needed to keep drives alive. Can the Bengals keep Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in check and reduce his effectiveness and can the Bengals force, and then capitalize on turnovers against the Steelers like they did last week against the Eagles?

In fact Philadelphia had hopes of reaching the playoffs also until the loss dealt them last week by Cincinnati so the Bengals could be the acting spoilers again this week.

What are the odds on the football game and will the spread be covered?

As of Friday afternoon most of the major sports books had the Pittsburgh Steelers as favorites to win over the Cincinnati Bengals by 3.5 points. If you go strictly by the numbers then I say yes, bet the Steelers.

I personally will not bet the Steelers this week though. For my own personal picks, I am going with the Bengals. Pittsburgh has made a number of mistakes in some crucial games the past few weeks and I think those mistakes, although they could be minor will continue again this week.

The Bengals have a good bit of momentum coming in to this game, and they will not only be watching for those mistakes, but they will also be trying to do what they can to encourage and create them.

Cincinnati’s biggest obstacles to overcome will be the fact that Pittsburgh is ranked 4th against the run and 1st against the pass, so the first half momentum will be one of the keys to winning the game. Quarterback Andy Dalton will have to throw the ball some and add to the overall mix since the Steelers will be keeping a close eye on running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis who has averaged approximately 100 yards per game the last few weeks.

I think this will be one of the upsets this week and we will see the Bengals win this game over the Steelers by 3 points. Whether you agree with my picks for which football team to bet on or not, be sure to bet safely and do not risk more than you can afford to lose.

Also be sure to bet with a trusted sportsbook. I recommend you check out the betting at Bet Online.