Monday Night Football open thread: Steelers at Bengals

Normally, an AFC North rivalry game is must-watch television. Unfortunately, this edition of Monday Night Football looks like a drubbing waiting to happen. Then again, Monday night can surprise everyone.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are entering tonight’s game on a cold streak, an odd but accurate description for an 11-2 team. After an undefeated start to the season, Pittsburgh has dropped two in a row, and fans aren’t feeling too good about it:

If there is one point of optimism for Steelers fans tonight, it’s their opponents. The Cincinnati Bengals had a young core ready to impress, led by first overall pick Joe Burrow. When he went down with injury, so to did Cincinnati’s season. Over the past five games since their bye, not only have the Bengals lost all of them, but they scored an average of 10 points per game. The first game after their bye was a 36-10 loss against these same Steelers. Cincinnati is hoping for a better outcome, but the odds look stacked against them.

Here’s how to watch tonight’s game:

Date: Monday, December 21, 2020
Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
Location: Paul Brown Stadium - Cincinnati, OH
TV: ESPN
Announcers: Steve Levy, Brian Griese, Louis Riddick & Lisa Salters
Online: Watch ESPN, NFL Gamepass