Thursday night is, or at least should be, the game that Zac Taylor coaches for his job.
The Bengals cannot be 2-5 with this much money invested in their stars and keep Taylor as head coach after Thursday night if they lose to the Steelers, even though there’s no chance Taylor is fired this early, even if the Bengals somehow lost 100-3.
Heading into the game, Pittsburgh will be a big favorite. FanDuel Sportsbook has the Bengals as 5.5-point underdogs on Thursday night. Cincinnati’s moneyline is +230, while Pittsburgh’s is -280. The over/under on this game is 41.5.
The last time the Bengals hosted the Steelers in primetime at home was in 2020. Joe Burrow was injured, and they started their third quarterback that season in Ryan Finley. As heavy underdogs against an 11-2 Steelers team, with the Bengals at 2-10-1, the Bengals won that game 27-17. It’s the game where Vonn Bell leveled JuJu Smith-Schuster, in a game that has become known as “The Culture Game.”
Thursday Night Football. White Bengals. Steelers coming in. Season on the line. Taylor’s job should be on the line (even if it isn’t).
Here goes nothing.
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