The skinny: The Bengals swept the season series in 2009. The Steelers are feeling a little put upon these days with the league’s crackdown on dangerous hits, as determined by the league officers.
Steelers linebacker James Harrison has been fined the most this season — a total of $100,000 — and his teammates came to his defense last week. They’ll play with an edge in this one. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is 5-0 on “Monday Night Football.”
For their part, in a limited MNF resume, the Bengals have won four of their last five home games on MNF.
The difference will be: If the Bengals can get anything going on the ground against the league’s top run defense. The Steelers are surrendering just 58.9 yards rushing per game — that’s an eye-popping 24.2 yards per game better than the No. 2 team.
The Bengals flourish when they get RB Cedric Benson going and have a 9-1 record in Benson’s 100-yard rushing games with the team. Cincinnati hasn’t given Benson more than 23 carries in a game since September, and he doesn’t have a rushing TD in a game since Sept. 26.
No team has rushed for more than 75 yards against the Steelers this season, and five teams haven’t topped 70.
The call: Steelers 20-10
Jeff Legwold, The Denver Post
