The 2-0 Cincinnati Bengals hosted the 1-1 Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday in another epic chapter of the ever-evolving AFC North rivalry. Steelers vs. Bengals was a close Week 3 game, with the visiting Pittsburgh defense ultimately making the difference with a clutch late play, holding the score at 30-27. A strip-sack and fumble recovery put the finishing touches on this Week 3 clash.
The Steelers opened the game by driving down the field for a touchdown on their first drive, with quarterback Aaron Rodgers connecting with wide receiver Roman Wilson in just 1:50. Cincinnati answered with a touchdown on their first drive as well, as neither defense tackled particularly well in the opening minutes. Quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase connected for that touchdown, tying it 7-7.
Perhaps the AFC North rivalry woke up the Pittsburgh offense this week, after scoring just 23 points over the first two games, more than doubling that in this one. Rodgers led them down the field for another touchdown before the end of the first quarter, this time to wide receiver Ben Skowronek, to make it 14-7 heading into the second quarter.
The second quarter featured the game’s first fourth-down attempt, and a 50-yard field goal from Bengals kicker Evan McPherson, making it a 14-10 game with 10:16 left to play in the opening half. The Steelers offense stalled on its next drive, with a failed field goal after an untimely penalty. Pittsburgh drained all three timeouts with 7:05 on the clock.
Pittsburgh got the ball back before Cincinnati could score again, but an intended pass to Wilson fell from his fingertips and was subsequently caught by safety Jordan Battle. Burrow finished the drive by connecting with wide receiver Tee Higgins for an incredible play. Higgins had already fallen with the defender in the end zone before making the catch.
The Bengals opened the second half, drove to the Steelers’ logo, and went for it on fourth-and-two. Burrow and Chase paired for a 21-yard first-down pass, but they’d ultimately be held to a field goal, going up 20-17. Pittsburgh benefited from a roughing the kicker penalty on fourth down to keep their following drive alive, and they took advantage of the mistake. This time, Rodgers linked up with wide receiver D.K. Metcalf to put the Steelers up four.
Just 1:31 into the fourth quarter, Burrow found tight end Mike Gesicki in the end zone on fourth down, putting Cincinnati up 27-24. Pittsburgh was forced to punt on the next drive, but a muffed catch gave them the ball back with 10:52 left in the game. Kicker Chris Boswell finished the drive with a field goal, tying the game at 27.
Steelers running back Jaylen Warren had chunk plays all game, filling in just fine for offseason acquisition Rico Dowdle, with 176 yards from scrimmage at the end of the game. From there, Pittsburgh milked the clock until forced to a field goal with 2:15 to go. Burrow was marching when two defensive tackles teamed up to end the game. Derrick Harmon rocked the Bengals quarterback for a strip-sack, then Sebastian Joseph-Day recovered the fumble.
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Steelers vs. Bengals is always an exciting and unpredictable matchup. You might expect Cincinnati to have a strong offense and a poor defense, but Pittsburgh’s offense surprised. It also wasn’t the names you’d expect making the biggest plays on defense. Rodgers heads to Cleveland to face quarterback Deshaun Watson and the Browns in a short-week NFL Thursday Night Football game from Huntington Bank Field. Burrow returns home to host quarterback Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars at Paycor Stadium.
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