The Bengals were coming out of the bye week, where they had time to rest up and get a bit healthier. DJ Reader made his return off IR, and the secondary had some time to sort things out after they had some injuries in recent weeks. It was an important divisional matchup on the road against the Steelers. With the divisional and wildcard race being so tight, and the Bengals starting 0-3 in the division, it was almost a must win. With the Steelers getting a defensive boost from TJ Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick, how would the Bengals respond?
The two teams actually had nearly identical starts to the game, exchanging three and outs, then field goals, and finally, touchdowns. The Bengals in both cases were the ones to take the lead, with the Steelers then tying it.
Cincinnati’s TD drive was a 79 yarder. Joe Mixon accounted for 34 scrimmage yards, and a 15 yard facemask penalty aided in the progression of the football, allowing the Bengals to stay on the field after a failed 3rd down play. The drive ended with a 29 yard catch and run TD by Samaje Perine.
After a 37 yard kickoff return, the Steelers got good field position, which helped them go down and tie the game at 10. Freiermuth made a 13 yard catch on 3rd & 7 to move the chains, and a couple of run plays then got the Steelers into the redzone. From there, Najee Harris ran it in for the score. It was a 19 yard run.
The AFC North rivals would once again trade TD’s on their next drives. It was again the Bengals who would take the lead. This time, they were pinned deep, on their own 8 yard line. A 24 yard pass to Higgins quickly got them out of the hole. Higgins made a few more catches on this drive, playing a big part in the team’s ability to move the ball. Joe Mixon also had some solid runs. Now on the Pittsburgh 11, Burrow found Samaje Perine for his second TD of the game.
Pittsburgh’s next TD drive again came after a pretty good return. The field position wasn’t quite as good as their last drive, but the 35 is always a welcomed spot by the offence. A holding call on the Bengals negated a 3rd down incompletion. Later in the drive, the Steelers were set back by a holding call of their own, but they were able to claw the yards back to make it 3rd & 5. On that play, a pass interference call gave the Steelers a 1st down, and put the ball on the Cincy 25. A couple of plays later, Pickett found Pickens for a 24 yard TD. The Steelers would add another field goal before the half. They led 20-17 at the break.
The Bengals opened the 2nd half scoring. This time, they had good starting field position, getting the ball back at their own 41. There were a series of shorter plays, before a 33 yard catch by Higgins put them at the Pittsburgh 6. Two plays later, Burrow found Trenton Irwin for the 1 yard score. It is the first career TD for Irwin, who was elevated from the practice squad prior to the game.
The two teams would again exchange field goals, before the Bengals added another major score to pad their lead. It was another long drive, as they had to go 93 yards to find the endzone. It started off with two big plays – a 34 yarder to Boyd, and a 32 yarder to Irwin. The offence continued to move the ball, eventually ending up inside the Pittsburgh 10. Shortly after, Burrow found Samaje Perine for his third TD of the day. On their next drive, a McPherson field goal would extend the Cincinnati lead to 14.
With limited time on the clock and no timeouts for the Steelers, the Bengals were able to sit back a bit. They did allow them to go down the field and score. It was a 1 yard run by Najee Harris. With less than a minute left, the Steelers needed an onside kick to keep their hopes alive. However, Wright’s kick was recovered by Boyd, sealing the 37-30 win for the Bengals.
The Bengals improve to 1-3 in the division, and 6-4 overall. They will fly to Tennessee to take on the Titans next week.
Modified Homescreen Image Via: Michael Li (CC)