Steelers’ Protection Will ‘Make Performs’: Joe Burrow Says Bengals’ Offense Should ‘Go Out And Make Extra’

When the Pittsburgh Steelers host the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday evening, it will likely be a rematch of the Steelers’ highest-scoring recreation this season. When the 2 groups met in Cincinnati, the ultimate rating was 44-38 in favor of the Steelers.

Regardless of the Steelers permitting probably the most factors they’ve allowed all season, the protection nonetheless made some key performs. They pressured three turnovers, together with LB Payton Wilson returning a fumble for a landing. So Bengals QB Joe Burrow is aware of that though his offense was in a position to rating factors, the Steelers’ protection will trigger issues.

“They’re gonna make performs on protection,” stated Burrow throughout his Thursday press convention per video from the Bengals’ X/Twitter account. “We’ve had some success with them in opposition to them throwing the ball. However when you will have T.J. Watt and Minkah and all people on that entrance, they’re gonna make performs. They’re gonna trigger turnovers, and there’s typically there’s not quite a bit that you are able to do about that. And it’s nearly staying targeted, shifting on to the subsequent play, and attempting to execute every play to one of the best of your capacity.”

On paper, it’s a matchup of every crew’s strengths. Burrow is having an unimaginable 12 months regardless of the Bengals’ document. He’s finishing 69.8 p.c of his passes for six,481 yards and 42 touchdowns with solely eight interceptions. And three of these touchdowns got here in opposition to the Steelers in Week 13.

On the opposite facet of the road of scrimmage? The Steelers’ protection remains to be the seventh-best scoring protection within the NFL. They permit 20.5 factors per recreation. They’re additionally first within the league when it comes to turnovers with 31. Therefore, Burrow is saying that they’ll make performs. And he’s positively been on the receiving finish of a few of these performs in Pittsburgh earlier than.

“We performed there in 2022, and TJ Watt jumped up, caught my ball on a alternative route, after which bought slammed, and I threw a choose,” Burrow stated. “After which one other time they, I used to be throwing a curl route, and someone jumped up and tipped it on the line of scrimmage, and I threw one other choose. And there’s simply nothing you are able to do about that. They’ve nice gamers on protection which might be gonna make performs. You simply gotta exit and make extra.”

The Bengals are on a four-game successful streak since they misplaced to the Steelers, whereas the Steelers are on a three-game shedding streak. Nonetheless, data exit the window relating to divisional matchups.

The Steelers definitely would love to duplicate the outcomes from going through the Bengals earlier this season. Nonetheless, the ultimate end result will depend upon which crew makes extra performs as a result of the Steelers and Bengals will make issues occur irrespective of who has the ball.