Pittsburgh at Cincinnati

At 7-5 in the competitive AFC North, the Pittsburgh Steelers actually control their own destiny despite being 1.5 games out of first place. That is because they have two games in December vs. Cincinnati. This is probably a make-or-break game for the Steelers as a loss will likely seal their fate as a team looking in from the outside when the playoffs start. The winner of this game will be the team that is able to impose their will vs. the other as Pittsburgh's strong aerial game takes on Cincinnati's strong pass defense. I think the winner of that battle will be Ben Roethlisberger. The Bengals have faced three top QBs on the season in Brees, Brady and Luck. Cincinnati saw those three combine to go 83-for-118 for 882 yards and 5 TDs to 0 INTs. That is over 70% completions and 7.5 yards per attempt. If that becomes the case here, the Bengals have no chance as a dog that throws for over 250 yards and 0 INTs are 334-104-11 ATS in the NFL! There's no guarantee of course that Big Ben has that kind of day, but you have to look at the situation as it is, and it seems to be more likely than less likely which is what this is all about. Make the play on Pittsburgh.