[UPDATE] It’s now halftime of Monday Night Football on ESPN between the Steelers and Bengals, with the score all tied-up at 10. Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger is 9-16 for 130 yards and one touchdown, compared to Andy Dalton’s stat line of 16-32 for 135 yards and no TDs. Although the MNF live game is even at 10, the Bengals have outgained the Steelers 218-165 in total yards. The second half should be an equally tight contest, and it’ll be interesting to see how the teams adjust at halftime. If you haven’t already, you should tune into ESPN and/or watch Monday Night Football online live streaming or via the ESPN app on Xbox 360.
The NFL schedulers had no idea when arranging tonight’s Week Two Monday Night Football game that the Pittsburg Steelers vs Cincinnati Bengals would be a battle of winless teams. Last week’s Monday Night premiere was a fantastic double-header. Tonight’s matchup, at least on paper, seems less compelling, although there are several storylines to pay attention to if you watch Monday Night Football online live streaming or via the ESPN app on Xbox 360.
Even if it doesn’t deliver the most compelling plays, tonight’s Monday Night Football battle between the AFC North teams still has some storylines to entertain online streaming viewers. The first and most prominent issue is whether the Pittsburg Steelers will return to their old form or continue playing what one ESPN analyst said “was not Steelers football.” That may be a tough challenge against the Bengals this week.
During their 16-9 loss against the Tennessee Titans last week, Pittsburgh managed only 195 total yards and likely lost Pro Bowl center Maurkice Pouncey for the season with a knee injury. That’s bound to hamper any offense, especially one going up against a great defense without Le’Veon Bell, who’s been all but ruled out for Week Two and perhaps up to four more weeks. Unfortunately, the Steelers’ defense also took a hit last week, with linebacker Larry Foote now done for the season after rupturing his right biceps. Before last week, the Steelers hadn’t lost a home opener in 10 years. If you watch Monday Night Football online live streaming via your Xbox 360’s ESPN app, you’ll have a front-row seat to see if quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, running back Isaac Redman (two fumbles last week) and the rest of the Steelers can turn it around in Week Two.
The Cincinnati Bengals, meanwhile, are coming off a last-minute loss to the Chicago Bears last week. In that game, Jay Cutler passed the go-ahead touchdown to Brandon Marshall in the fourth quarter, rallying the Bears to a 24-21 victory. The Bengals, described as sloppy after last week’s loss, would hate to go into Week Three with an 0-2 record after making consecutive playoff appearances for the first time in 30 years. Quarterback Andy Dalton threw for 282 yards with two touchdowns, both to A.J Green (who had 162 yards receiving), but he also tossed two interceptions. With the Steelers’ Foote done for the season, Dalton and Co. have a good chance to do more damage, though it’s the Bengals defense that’s really got people stoked to watch Monday Night Football online live streaming.
The Bengals have one of the better defenses in the AFC, and a large part of that is James Harrison, who was signed after the Steelers let him go in March. Harrison, “one of the nastiest hitters ever to wear a black and gold uniform,” was interviewed by Jon Gruden this weekend and actually choked back tears when thinking of his former coaches. The dude’s solid, plain and simple, and he’s also one of the players most responsible for the Steelers winning the 2008 Super Bowl. Seeing him take on his former team on MNF tonight — and going up against his former QB, Roethlisberger — should make for some good live TV.
If you’re going watch Monday Night Football online live streaming free tonight, you’ll want to know the teams’ history. After decades of struggling against Pittsburgh, this might be the year Cincinnati is the better team. The betting line for tonight’s Monday Night Football game between the Steelers and Bengals have the Bengals as a 6.5-point favorite, and the oddsmakers generally nail the favorites, even if not the spread. With that said, the Odds Shark computer predicts a 14-10 Bengals win, which would be a Steelers cover.
Tonight’s Monday Night Football game on ESPN between the Steelers vs Bengals starts at 8:30 PM EST/5:30 PM PST. You can watch Monday Night Football online live streaming for free via the ESPN app on Xbox 360, or you can check out this Yahoo Group or Justin.tv. Just don’t infringe on anyone’s ownership or public display rights. And remember to tune in early so you can see Pac-Man (the yellow video game character, not Jones) promote another batch of Monday Night Football historical highlights.