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FNIA PIT at CIN Preview: Big Ben is 13-4 against the Bengals & 14-2 in the state of Ohio…

Oct 20, 2012, 7:22 PM EDT

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STEELERS (2-3) AT BENGALS (3-3)

By Football Night in America’s Eliot Kalb

The Steelers have won four straight in the series, with sweeps in 2010 and 2011.

Ben Roethlisberger is 13-4 in his career against the Bengals.  And Ben is 14-2 in the state of Ohio.

And Andy Dalton/A.J. Green are 0-5 in their career against the Steelers.

A.J. Green leads the NFL this week in receiving yards (628). He had 135 yards (on seven catches) last week at Cleveland.

Pittsburgh looks to improve its record at Paul Brown Stadium to 11-2 during the regular season. The Steelers’ 10 regular-season wins at Paul Brown Stadium are five more than any other NFL team (Baltimore: 5-7) that visits the venue.

PICK-SIX:  Dick LeBeau’s Steelers have returned 14 interceptions for scores in his nine seasons.  And Dalton has thrown three this season.

The quick reaction in looking at the Bengals negative-7 turnover differential is to point atAndy Dalton’s nine interceptions (including three for touchdowns), or BenJarvus Green-Ellis’s sudden inability to hang on to the ball.

Going into a pivotal Sunday night game against Pittsburgh, the Bengals offensive line has had mixed results. According to Pro Football Focus, they grade out as the top team in the league in pass blocking efficiency. Run blocking, though, has been wildly inconsistent.

Bengals center Jeff Faine, who is in for the injured Kyle Cook, did not join the team until the preseason had ended while Green-Ellis missed the final three preseason games due to a foot injury. Clint Boling was inserted at left guard after Travelle Wharton suffered a season-ending knee injury in the preseason opener against the Jets while Kevin Zeitler was plugged in at right guard the moment he was drafted in the first round. So far Boling and Zeitler have been solid.

Green-Ellis:  107 carries, 50 have gone for two yards or less.

Casey Hampton is still clogging the middle for the Steelers.  He’s 35 and coming off an ACL injury, but the Steelers are still hanging with him after giving up 91 yards to Chris Johnson in Tennessee last week and 113 to Oakland’s Darren McFadden last month. But he’s still making it hard on people to run the ball on Pittsburgh.

Geno Atkins has been great against the run and very consistent week in and week out for the Bengals.

The Steelers are one of only three NFL teams, San Francisco and Washington being the others, that haven’t played a divisional game yet this season.

The Steelers are 0-3 on the road this year, and only 5-7 in their last 12 road games back to last season.

Leon Hall tore his Achilles tendon in a Week 10 loss against the Steelers last season at Paul Brown Stadium.  Hall missed two games earlier this season because of a hamstring injury but leads the defense with six passes defensed. With Nate Clements moving to strong safety, 10-year veteran Terence Newman has settled in as the starter at the other cornerback spot. Adam Jones has taken snaps on defense in every game and his three passes defensed are tied with Newman for second on the team behind Hall.

 

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