Steelers Get Bold Warning From Former Bengals Star: "They're Not Sweeping Us"

The Pittsburgh Steelers already beat the Cincinnati Bengals once this season. One former Bengals star is convinced it will not happen twice. Former Cincinnati wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh made a bold prediction ahead of Sunday night's first-place showdown at Paycor Stadium, laying out exactly how he thinks the Bengals will get even. His plan includes shutting down TJ Watt, stopping Jaylen Warren and daring the Steelers to keep up in a shootout.

Houshmandzadeh, who spent eight seasons with the Bengals and made the Pro Bowl in 2007, previewed the game on Thursday's episode of Pregame: A Speakeasy Show, where he was joined by former Broncos safety T.J. Ward. The show streams live Monday through Thursday afternoons, and the Bengals-Steelers preview was one of the main segments of Thursday's episode. Houshmandzadeh started with the Steelers' running game.

"We've gotta get off the bus and stop the run. If we stop the run, game's over. Game is over. They don't believe in DK," Houshmandzadeh said.

The jab at DK Metcalf is sure to get attention in Pittsburgh. Metcalf has had a quieter season than expected, and Head Coach Mike McCarthy took the blame for Metcalf's production earlier this week. Metcalf, for his part, predicted on Thursday that both offenses will put up a lot of points.

Houshmandzadeh then turned to the matchup that frustrated Watt in Week 3. Bengals right tackle Amarius Mims kept Watt quiet in that game, and Houshmandzadeh believes it will happen again.

"Our right tackle, Amarius Mims, he good as gold. Ain't no pressure coming from that side," Houshmandzadeh said.

Steelers Have Already Proven They Can Win A Shootout

Houshmandzadeh also argued that the Steelers' only path to beating Cincinnati again runs through the ground game, and that the Bengals' offense will take over if the game turns into a track meet.

"If we are slowing down Jaylen Warren and he's not getting 4 to 7 yards a pop, game's over. If it's a shootout, they can't keep up. They're not stopping us. They already beat us. They're not sweeping us," Houshmandzadeh said.

The problem with that argument is the first meeting. The Steelers won that game 30-27, and it was very much a shootout. Aaron Rodgers threw for 292 yards and three touchdowns, and Warren ran for 127 yards. The Steelers kept pace with Cincinnati's offense and then won it with a late Chris Boswell field goal and a strip-sack of Joe Burrow by Derrick Harmon. Houshmandzadeh brought up that final drive too, arguing that Burrow held on to the ball too long on the play and will not make the same mistake twice.

The Steelers know what they are up against. Defensive tackle Cameron Heyward said this week that the Bengals' offense starts with its two star receivers, according to Steelers.com.

"(They're) feeding those two monsters in Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase. They do a great job of that. Joe's buying time, getting downfield," Heyward said.

Houshmandzadeh does have a point about the run game. Warren has been the engine of the offense, earning a midseason honor from PFF as the team's highest-graded player. Offensive coordinator Brian Angelichio said this week that the Steelers made it a point to get the ball downhill against Cincinnati in Week 3, and the running game has only gotten stronger since then with Rico Dowdle healthy again.

The Watt matchup is the more interesting part of the prediction. Watt did not record a sack or even a quarterback hurry against Mims in the first meeting, and SteelerNation looked at the brutal rematch Watt faces this week. Watt had two sacks in the win over the Cleveland Browns before the bye, and a big night in Cincinnati would be the best possible answer.

The Bengals have plenty of reasons for confidence. They have won four straight games, scoring at least 31 points in each one, and Burrow is playing at an MVP level. But they also have to beat a Steelers defense that has carried Pittsburgh through its own four-game winning streak. Houshmandzadeh says the sweep is not happening. The Steelers will get their chance to prove him wrong on Sunday night.

This story was produced with the help of AI and reviewed by SteelerNation editors.

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