Expecting this to be a relatively high-scoring game, I'm going to stay away from the total which could fall on either side of the over/under. Instead, I'm going to go with the quarterback who has dominated this rivalry; his name is Ben Roethlisberger. Both teams pulled off big wins a week ago, but let's not forget the Bengals needed the Dolphins to implode. The Steelers stormed the Falcons in a dominant win, bouncing back from the tough Ravens loss in style. This is another meeting between these teams that should come down to the wire, and I expect Pittsburgh to stand on top at the end.

Cincinnati, with a quicker-paced offense that belatedly entered the 21st century, is legit. Yet the Bengals under Marvin Lewis have been owned by Pittsburgh. The firing-immune coach is 7-23 straight-up against the Steelers, who have failed to cover after just four of 22 puddle-jumper flights to Cincy. The defense got blitzed by Atlanta this season, and Pittsburgh’s offense is comparable to the Falcons’. The Bengals cannot count on more good luck that helped them dodge Miami last Sunday.

I think people might love Cincy laying less than three, but I'm on the other side. Many of the Bengals' wins have been fluky, from a Week 1 scoop-and-score when Andrew Luck was driving for the win, to a coin flip win over Atlanta to two defensive TDs last week. Steelers and Big Ben own the Bengals; the QB is 12-2 in Cincy SU and 11-3 ATS in his career. I think Pittsburgh comes out playing with urgency and upends a Bengals team that's overvalued right now.

The Steelers have beaten Cincinnati nine of the last 10 times. They're coming around offensively whereas Andy Dalton did not play that well against Miami. It will be a high-scoring game and Pittsburgh is good in that situation.

The results would suggest the Bengals should be the strong pick here, but my advanced projection model see it otherwise. The Steelers haven't put it all together on both sides of the ball, but pound for pound, the Steelers have superior talent and a higher ceiling. Last week's 41-17 drubbing of the Falcons shows a strong glimpse that Pittsburgh is finding its form. Take the Steelers and the points.