The Bengals are a bad football team right now, it's really that simple. Play the Pittsburgh Steelers minus the points on the road at Cincinnati Sunday afternoon.
Underdogs of nine or more points are a magnificent 13-2 against the spread this season with seven straight-up winners. So on the surface it might be tempting to fire away on the winless Cincinnati Bengals hosting hated division rival Pittsburgh.
Don't do it. The Bengals have no chance here with Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback and no running attack matching up against the Steelers' second-rated defense. Pittsburgh hasn't allowed 300 yards of offense. No team has been able to pass for 200 yards against the Steelers. The Steelers have owned the Bengals in Cincinnati beating them seven straight times. Ben Roethlisberger is 10-0 in his NFL career when playing in his home-town state of Ohio. This includes a 5-0 mark against Cincinnati.
Rudi Johnson may have been on the downside of his career, but for the Bengals to attempt to rush the ball with Chris Perry and Cedric Benson is an absolute joke. Cincinnati's ground attack may pick up when Marvin Lewis figures out Kenny Watson is his best running back.
The Bengals have to be ultra-conservative with Fitzpatrick, considering his severe limitations and the Steelers' blitzing pass rush, which has 18 sacks second-most in the NFL. In addition, the Bengals may have to go a second straight week without kicker Shayne Graham. He's one of the better kickers in the NFL. His replacement, Dave Rayner, is very inconsistent which is why he's a journeyman.
The artist formerly known as Chad Johnson has vanished. So have his stats - 19 catches, 36 yard average per game and one touchdown. Ocho Cinco has been rendered insignificant by being less than 100 percent and Carson Palmer being out.
The Steelers were banged-up going into their bye last week. Now they should almost be fully healthy although Willie Parker may not play. That won't matter because Mewelde Moore is a solid north/south runner, who can catch extremely well and pass block. Cincinnati gives up 158.8 yards on the ground. Only four teams are worse. Roethlisberger should have ample time to pick out his many targets. The Bengals only have five sacks in six games.
One sharp professional football bettor told me he loves to play on winless teams this late in the season. It worked last week with St. Louis and Detroit, both of whom easily covered with the Rams winning straight-up. But that logic won't apply here. The big news in Cincinnati isn't this matchup with the Steelers. It's the future of Palmer. Will he be shut down this season? This week it's the Bengals who will be shut down.
Free Pick: Steelers -9½ (-110)