The Cincinnati Bengals and the Pittsburgh Steelers will face off in a big clash for Week 8 of the NFL 2015 regular season on Sunday. The Bengals will be looking to keep their perfect record intact today, but the Steelers will be hoping to upset the Bengals juggernaut in front of a packed stadium at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The game has a scheduled start time of 1 p.m. ET and can be watched on TV on the CBS network or online through live stream via the link below.
All the talk in Pittsburgh ahead of this game has been about whether franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will be able to make his eagerly anticipated comeback against the Bengals.
Without him, the Steelers have not fallen apart but it has been apparent that a significant piece of their engine has been missing. They come into today's clash on 4-3 and they will see that as reasonable considering their circumstances. But they will also know that as soon as they get their star quarterback back on the field then they must push on and grab hold of a Playoff spot.
The Steelers have been without Roethlisberger since he suffered a sprained left knee and bruised leg in the third quarter against the St Louis Rams at the end of September. Since then they have had to play four games without him so far, and they split those four games evenly at 2-2.
But the stats speak for themselves; with Roethlisberger the Steelers averaged 458.5 yards per game in the two clashes he completed, however, without Roethlisberger the Steelers could only just sneak over the 300 mark with 304 yards per game.
If Roethlisberger does make a comeback today it would be a massive boost for the Steelers, but whether he would even be enough to help stop the 6-0 Bengals remains to be seen.
Earlier this week on Thursday Night Football the New England Patriots took on the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. As expected the Patriots continued their winning run, claiming a solid 36-7 win.
The Patriots rarely looked in trouble as they shut down the Dolphins' offense almost entirely to allow them only one score. The result pushed the Patriots to an impressive 7-0, where as the Dolphins dropped below .500 with a 3-4 record, and their season is now looking on the brink.
Tom Brady was once again in top form for the Patriots, throwing for 356 yards and four touchdowns. He helped the Patriots become the first team to reach seven wins this season, and they are increasingly looking a good bet to retain their Super Bowl crown.
Thursday Night was also a big night for the Patriots' Stephen Gostkowski, who broke Adam Vinatieri's franchise record for consecutive field goals. The moment came when he scored from 52 and 36 yards to make it 26 field goals in a row.
Thursday's loss was the first for interim coach Dan Campbell, who had led a short revival for the Dolphins since taking over. In his prior two games in charge the Dolphins had piled on 82 points as they destroyed the Tennessee Titans and the Houston Texans.
Today's big game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Pittsburgh Steelers has a scheduled start time of 1 p.m. ET and can be watched on TV on the CBS network or online through live stream by clicking here.
