During a normal week, it’s pretty easy to tell whether the Cincinnati Bengals will be favored in a game.
But not this week.
This is the first week of the post-Joe Burrow era for the remainder of the 2023 season and the opponent is a 6-4 Pittsburgh Steelers team dealing with drama of its own.
Those always unpredictable showdowns with the team from Pittsburgh feels especially tough to call this time, so it’s interesting to look at how experts have picked the game.
That, plus some Burrow news and other items headline the day.
Here’s a look at the must-know Bengals news, notes and quotes for November 26.
Joe Burrow to IR -- Bengals Wire
As expected, the team waited until the weekend to shift Burrow to IR, bringing up rookie running back Chase Brown to take his spot on the 53-man roster. Now we await word on surgery and timeline details.
Ja'Marr Chase talks playoff path -- Bengals Wire
Ja’Marr Chase isn’t giving up and he’s not shy about it, either. He goes into detail on how the team can make the playoffs, including which oppents they need to beat in order to get there.
Ravens player fined -- Bengals Wire
A Ravens player was the only one fined from the Week 11, Ravens-Bengals clash.
2024 NFL mock -- Bengals Wire
A new mock has the Bengals going after trench help on both sides of the ball, which is interesting considering the way Jonah Williams’ play might give the team options next summer.
Two experts split on Steelers-Bengals -- ESPN
Two experts at ESPN go different ways while picking this one, with one part of the writeup explaining how important the defense is now: “Cincinnati’s run defense. With Burrow out for the season, neither team should be able to have much success on offense. The bad news for the Bengals: Their run defense has been porous, ranking 29th in EPA allowed per designed carry.”
Steelers favored big by experts -- CBS Sports
All but one expert at CBS Sports takes the Steelers, citing this data: “SportsLine’s simulation model has ranked in the top 10 on NFLPickWatch four of the past six years on straight-up NFL picks, while beating more than 94% of CBS Sports Football Pick’em players four times during that span. One part of a projected five-team parlay we can reveal: The model says the Steelers (-1) cover on the road against the Bengals in almost 60% of simulations, making it one of its strongest Week 12 NFL picks.”
No expert takes Bengals -- NFL.com
Every expert polled at NFL.com takes the Steelers, with one noting the offensive change for Pittsburgh: “That Browning has as many TD throws as Kenny Pickett over the last month explains the Steelers’ need for a new offensive voice. Will a different play-caller provide the spark Pittsburgh desperately desires? Will it matter against a Burrow-less Bengals squad? My guess is no to both. But for another week, the Steelers’ defense — and its proclivity for forcing fourth-quarter turnovers — picks up the slack, keeping Pittsburgh in the playoff picture.”
