The holiday weekend is starting with an NFL Saturday that kicks off with the Cincinnati Bengals<\/a> (8-6) visiting the Pittsburgh Steelers<\/a> (7-7).
Whatever magic Jake Browning had continued to come out for the Bengals last week, as Cincinnati rallied for an overtime win<\/a> against the Minnesota Vikings for its third-straight win. Even with injuries continuing to pile up, Zac Taylor’s squad continues to find ways to win and remain a legitimate playoff team.
Things are continuing to go south for Pittsburgh, as the Steelers gave up 30 unanswered points in a loss to the Indianapolis Colts<\/a> for their third straight loss. Mike Tomlin will make a change at starting quarterback<\/a> with Mason Rudolph getting the nod for a team badly in need of a win to stay in the playoff race.
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Rams vs. Saints<\/a> | Steelers vs. Bengals<\/a> | Chargers vs. Bills<\/a> | Falcons vs. Colts<\/a> | Panthers vs. Packers<\/a> | Texans vs. Browns<\/a> | Vikings vs. Lions<\/a> | Jets vs. Commanders<\/a> | Titans vs. Seahawks<\/a> | Buccaneers vs. Jaguars<\/a> | Bears vs. Cardinals<\/a> | Dolphins vs. Cowboys<\/a> | Broncos vs. Patriots<\/a> | Chiefs vs. Raiders<\/a> | Eagles vs. Giants<\/a> | 49ers vs. Ravens<\/a>
Jake Browning is on a tear and the Steelers are reeling, losers of their last three. Mason Rudolph will start if Kenny Pickett can\u2019t go, but even if he can, he\u2019ll likely still be somewhat limited by his ankle injury. Regardless, Pittsburgh\u2019s offensive execution gives me no confidence that they can cover this. And since it\u2019s below a field goal, I\u2019m loving Cincy in this spot.
Joe Burrow and D.J. Reader are out for the season, and now Ja\u2019Marr Chase is banged up. Injuries have started to be too much for the Bengals to overcome. The Bengals are the better team when healthy, but health has been a weekly issue for Cincinnati this year. The Steelers’ offense has been terrible during their three-game losing streak but expect the team to rally behind Mason Rudolph and get energy from the Pittsburgh fans.
Mike Tomlin is doing his best to keep the Steelers alive, but their issues like players shying away from effort and former players openly criticizing from the outside will run its course. Meanwhile, the Bengals might have done the best job in the NFL in helping their backup quarterback succeed.
The Jake Browning train is still chugging as the underdog quarterback won his third straight game \u2014 second in overtime. Cincinnati might be without Ja\u2019Marr Chase and switching to Mason Rudolph to light the way this Christmas weekend might help the Steelers. But the Bengals have more momentum to take advantage of Pittsburgh\u2019s many flaws and win on the road.
Can the Steelers’ offense be trusted at all right now? They haven’t scored more than 20 points in their past five games, and the Bengals are much a different team since the last time these two met. Jake Browning continues his hot play while the Steelers drop to under .500 and their free fall continues.
You can view the full list of USA TODAY’s NFL expert predictions here<\/a>.
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