The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 27-17 at Heinz Field to finish the season at 11-5 and claim their 4th AFC North title of the Mike Tomlin era. With the win secured, the Steelers now move on to the playoffs, where they will face AFC North arch-rival Baltimore Ravens next week.
- The win however, came at a high cost.
During the third quarter, Steelers 2014 MVP Le’Veon Bell was injured and did not return to the game. The early diagnosis was a hyper-extended knee, but nothing definitive has been confirmed. His replacement Josh Harris did run 59 yards from scrimmage, but the play was nullified via penalty.
[yop_poll id=”9″]
Although both the Steelers and the Bengals had clinched playoff spots, the game had a playoff atmosphere. Both the Steelers and the Bengals committed 3 turnovers, but the Steelers were able to turn their into points.
The critical play of the game came after a 17 yard A.J. Green catch that saw Antwon Blake first force a fumble, and then recover it. 3 plays later Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown hooked up for a 63 yard touchdown pass which sealed the victory for Pittsburgh.
Folks, its now 2:31 here in Buenos Aires, and work looms tomorrow. Steel Curtain Rising will have a full analysis later in the day on Monday.
