Can the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Offense Score Enough To Keep Up With Cincinnati in Week 3?

The Pittsburgh Steelers have had their ups and downs in the 2021 NFL season, beating the Bills on the road in Week 1 and then losing to the Raiders at home last weekend.

One of the biggest concerns bettor have with the Steelers is their offensive productivity so far this season. Will these concerns affect their NFL betting odds? Let’s break it down.

Steelers Passing Stats

Admittedly, Ben Roethlisberger had decent passing numbers for the Steelers in Week 2, going 27/40 with 295 passing yards and a touchdown pass. In Week 1, his completion percentage was just 56%, going 18/32 with 188 passing yards and a touchdown pass.

Overall, their passing stats are respectable compared to the rest of the league, but the real problem for the Steelers is that two of their best wide receivers haven’t put up the type of numbers bettors expect to see from them.

Chase Claypool struggled last week, only catching three passes on nine targets. Overall, he has just 115 receiving yards in two games.

Another wide receiver that needs to step up, in my opinion, is JuJu Smith-Schuster. So far, he has just 93 receiving yards on the season.

Neither receiver has caught a touchdown pass yet. The only touchdown pass of the season has come from their running back, Najee Harris.

Steelers Rushing Stats

This situation is even worse for the Steelers. They currently rank last in the NFL in total rushing yards with 114.

The Steelers rely on rookie running back Najee Harris to carry the load, but he has yet to deliver a strong performance. His first two games have resulted in just 45 and 38 rushing yards, totaling 83 yards on the season.

On top of this, the Steelers have not used anyone else regularly so far, with Benny Snell Jr. being the only other running back to touch the resulting in just one rushing yard.

This season’s only rushing touchdown came from wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster last week against the Raiders.

Total Offense

Overall, the offensive numbers are not pretty for Pittsburgh. They have 583 total yards, which is ranked 28th in the league.

When it comes to total points, the Steelers are a little better but still in the bottom quarter of the league with 40. In my opinion, this should make bettors nervous in games where Pittsburgh faces off against a strong defense.

Comparison and Prediction

How do the Steelers stack up to the Bengals?

The Bengals have scored 44 points and have 31 more total yards than the Steelers.

The Steelers have more passing yards (469 vs. 396), but the Bengals have a much better running attack.

Defensively, the Bengals are sixth in the NFL for total yards allowed with 609.

I don’t expect the Steelers to fix their offensive issues against a defense like the Bengals. If Harris cannot rush for 100 yards or more this week, Pittsburgh could be in for a long day.

Make Your Prediction

What do you think of the Steelers? Do you think their offensive woes will continue, or will they find their footing this week?

Check out BetMGM’s King of the Weekend contest to make your scoring predictions.