Steelers confirm Roethlisberger set to start against Bengals
The Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin confirmed that Roethlisberger is preparing to play against the Bengals after missing four games with a sprained knee and bruised leg. The AFC North clash got a little more exciting with the expected return of Ben Roethlisberger to the Steelers lineup. The game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers is scheduled to start on Sunday, November 1, 2015, at 1 p.m. ET at Heinz Field. The game will be broadcasted on CBS.
The Pittsburgh Steelers should get a boost with their starting quarterback under center and could mount a challenge to the undefeated Bengals. The Steelers are 4-3 overall and 2.5 games behind the Bengals for the top spot in the AFC North. The Steelers have one of the league’s best offenses, but history hasn’t been kind to Big Ben in his return to the field. In 11 seasons, Roethlisberger has come back from injury on six occasions, and the Steelers are 2-4 in those games. Roethlisberger should not be expected to immediately perform to his top quarterback performance level prior to his injury. There may be a rust factor involved, but the Steelers are just happy to see their franchise quarterback return for this key division game. The Steelers defense has improved under coordinator Keith Butler, creating more turnovers and applying more pressure on quarterbacks. The Steelers rank seventh in the league in points per game allowed at 18.7. There have been some coverage issues involving tight ends.
The Cincinnati Bengals has a chance to do what no other team in franchise history has done, and that’s start a season 7-0. The team is coming off a bye week as one of the healthiest in the league. In their last game, they beat the Buffalo Bills 34-21 on Oct. 18 in New York. The Bengals are 3-0 against AFC opponents on the road this year. The Bengals offense are third in the NFL but also have the best balance in the conference, where they rank fourth in rushing and fourth in passing. Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton is having a fantastic season through six games. His completion percentage, yards, yards per attempt and passer rating are at their highest points through this many games. His two interceptions are the fewest he’s thrown across a similar span. Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert might be Andy Dalton’s favorite target right now. He will be bursting through the middle of the Pittsburgh defense, daring the Steelers to cover him.
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