Cincinnati Bengals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers Week 12 Bet Preview & Picks

The Bengals will travel back home for a matchup against divisional rival Pittsburgh Steelers after getting an important road win against the Las Vegas Raiders last weekend. The Steelers vs. Bengals game will be aired on CBS at 1 p.m.

The Bengals (6-4) took the sole position of second place in the AFC North after they were able to dismantle the Raiders 32-13 last Sunday. Joe Mixon led the offense with 123 yards on 30 carries and two touchdowns.

The Steelers (5-4-1) dropped to third in the AFC North with their close Sunday night loss to the Los Angeles Chargers 41-37. Ben Roethlisberger had a proficient game throwing for three touchdowns and 273 yards.

Odds

This is expected to be a tight matchup with the Bengals holding a 4.5 point spread with odds of-110 to cover that spread. The Steelers, at +4.5, have the same odds of -110 at that spread. The over/under for the game is 45.5 with odds of -107 to bet the over and odds of -113 for the under.

The Bengals won the first matchup between these two teams earlier this year in Pittsburgh 24-10.

Why the Bengals Will Win

The Bengals are coming off a big weekend, defeating the Raiders and snapping their two-game losing streak to get right back into the playoff discussion. They need to use this momentum to dominate the Steelers on Sunday and take advantage of an underwhelming Steelers team.

The Bengals are ranked better on both sides of the ball, but I think the key to victory as in most weeks is Joe Burrow and the defense. The offense did not start off hot against the Raiders, but the defense was able to seal the game with some takeaways which will be needed in a hard-fought divisional battle.

Why the Steelers Will Win

It is now or never for Pittsburgh because they are slowly losing ground after tying the Lions and losing to the Chargers. It is already week 12 and these divisional matchups mean everything at this point. Being swept by the Bengals would make it hard to come back from.

Ben Roethlisberger has done a good job of limiting his mistakes by only throwing four interceptions this year, but he will need to have a multi-touchdown game to beat these Bengals. The defense had been playing okay before last week. They will need to prevent the big play from Burrow to Chase to force the Bengals to beat them on third down.

Expected Outcome

It should be expected that the Bengals will win this one with the momentum and home-field advantage, but that is not always the case with the Bengals. They are young and can have off games, but I want to think that these Bengals are legit and will be able to pull this one out.

I think that it will be a close affair going into the fourth quarter, but I am predicting a late turnover caused by the Bengals defense to seal the win for this surprisingly successful Bengals team