Two longtime North Division foes will do battle in week one of the NFL season as the Pittsburgh Steelers visit the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday afternoon. It is a new era in Pittsburgh as, for the first time since 2004, the Steelers will no longer have Ben Roethlisberger under center. Instead, the Steelers will turn to former Bears first round draft pick Mitch Trubisky as the #1 signal caller while being backed up by their 2022 first round pick Kenny Pickett. The Bengals come into 2022 with sky-high expectations after coming within a winning drive of capturing the franchise's first Super Bowl title in 2021. Quarterback Joe Burrow is back along with his trusted wideout Ja'Marr Chase and a host of other offensive weapons that make the Bengals one of the favorites to return to the Super Bowl in 2022. The opening kickoff is set for 1:00pm EST.
Mitch Trubisky never quite took to being the first round draft pick of the Chicago Bears, 2nd overall, and headlining one of the marquee franchises in the NFL. Fast forward five seasons and here he is again, headlining a marquee franchise. After a summer spent battling rookie Kenny Pickett and veteran Mason Rudolph, Trubisky was named by Steelers coach Mike Tomlin to lead the team in the post-Ben Roethlisberger Era.
“We're just really comfortable with what Mitch has shown us,” Tomlin said. “He's a guy that came to us with franchise quarterback experience. He's comfortable in those shoes. He's been the focal point of a football team, in the organization before. He's had success in doing so. Like I mentioned, when we acquired him, he took the Bears to the playoffs two out of four years. He has a winning record as a starting quarterback. Those things were attractive to us. His athleticism and mobility were attractive to us. He took care of the football in-stadium, all our quarterbacks did.”
Trubisky will certainly have offensive weapons at his disposal when he takes the field on Sunday in Cincinnati. The Steelers boast a top-flight running back in Najee Harris as well as a talented receiving core led by Pro Bowler Diontae Johnson along with Chase Claypool and rookie wideout George Pickens, who has turned heads in camp. The offense should be much more high octane this season after spending a season playing with a clearly diminished Roethlisberger throwing short three to five yard passes down the field. The key to success will be the Steelers' offensive line and their ability to keep Trubisky upright.
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— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) September 6, 2022
Defensively, the Steelers have several key pieces that can make plays. First and foremost is the NFL's reigning sack leader, T.J. Watt. The Steelers, as a team, have notched at least 50 sacks in each of Watt's five seasons since being drafted by Pittsburgh. Cam Heyward gives Watt a solid running mate on the defensive line and Minkah Fitzpatrick is the leader of the Steelers secondary from the safety position. The most glaring concern for the Steelers this season will be their ability to stop the run. In 2021, the Steelers gave up the most rushing yards in team history. The team added lineman Larry Ogunjobi and linebacker Myles Jack to help shore up the middle of the field and give the Steelers a fighting chance when team's try to pound the ball against them.
Injury Report: The Steelers have yet to have the services of WR Johnson since he left the final preseason game with an apparent shoulder injury. Starting right tackle Chooks O korafor has also missed practice time due to a back issue so both players are worth keeping an eye on as it gets close to game time.