The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 34-12 in a wild afternoon at Acrisure.
Exactly 31 days separated the two AFC North rivals from their last meeting, with the Bengals dominating the Steelers in their first encounter in ways which the 33-31 final score could not reveal.
- The results were quite different this time.
When why, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin coyly explained, “I don’t know that we changed anything of any significance. I just thought we were more solid today.”
Fair enough. Tomlin would not and should not tip his hand on the schematic changes he and his staff made. But he betrays his coyness with his use of the word “solid,” because the Steelers turned the tables on the Bengals for two reasons: They hit harder and their depth delivered.
Mason Rudolph stands tall in the pocket. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review
When You’re Down, Hit Harder
What everyone remembers from the first fiasco against the Bengals was that, starting in the middle of the second quarter, Joe Flacco started firing at will against the Steelers defense. And it’s true that Pittsburgh’s defensive backs looked hopeless covering Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
- But what everyone forgets is that their tackling was just as terrible that night.
The Bengals won the toss and although they were on offense, the Steelers came out hitting. D.K. Metcalf led with a 4-yard catch, Jaylen Warren followed with a 5 yard run, and Connor Heyward with a determined second effort, got 1 yard in Pittsburgh’s Tush Push Lite.
Two plays later, Warren ripped off a 35 yard run, where he broke tackles at the first level and again in the second level. Two plays later, the Kenneth Gainwell took and 11 yard pass into the end zone and Pittsburgh had sent a message – they were going to be physical.
- Physicality didn’t simply extend to the Steelers ground game.
The Steelers hit Darnell Washington 4 times, and on each occasion barreled through Cincinnati’s secondary, almost daring Bengals defenders to hit him.
Darnell Washington dumps Barrett Carter. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com
The Steelers defense of course, laid in the most important hits of game.
About midway through the first half, a Flacco pass flew towards Ja’Marr Chase and just barley missed the target. Jalen Ramsey didn’t hold back and laid in the wood just the same. The play didn’t draw a flag, but it could have, and I thought back to a anonymous quote Jim Wexell shared about the team’s plans to stop Tom Brady in the 2016 AFC Championship game – “We’re going to hit him whenever we can and take the 15 if necessary.”
The thought flashed through my mind a few plays later when T.J. Watt got flagged for a late hit on Flacco – their plan is to make him pay (no, Watt didn’t deserve the flag – that’s called a make up call boys and girls.)
The ease with which the Bengals scored their first touchdown revealed the defense still has its vulnerabilities. But the Steelers responded by proving it retains its ability to hit hard, and that’s why the Bengals never saw the end zone again.
Back Ups Answer the Call
While it’s not the way the NFL’s marketing arm would like to tell the story, winning in pro football oftentimes comes down to who weathers the battle of attrition better (see the Killer Bees’ penchant playoff injuries.)
The Steelers came into the game missing Darius Slay and Alex Highsmith. During the game they’d lose Ke’Shawn Williams, Aaron Rodgers and Jaylen Warren.
- Mason Rudolph responded by completing 75% of his passes, a touchdown and 127 yards
- Kenneth Gainwell and Kaleb Johnson only added 39 yards on the ground, but Gainwell had 81 through the air
- Nick Herbig sacked Flacco at Pittsburgh’s 18, pushing him back 7 yards
Flacco was so frazzled, he took a delay of game penalty and threw and incompletion and the Bengals settled for a field goal.
Substitutes Rewrite New End Script
The Steelers biggest wins this season, against Minnesota in Dublin and two weeks ago against the Colts against Acrisure had a common thread: The both got close, at least cosmetically, at the end.
Two substitute Steelers saw to it that Pittsburgh wrote a new ending to that script against the Bengals.
When the Steelers made their final roster cut down to on August 26th, James Pierre got a visit from “The Turk” while Kyle Dugger was a member of the New England Patriots. If the hard hits of the Steelers defense kept Pittsburgh ahead the entire afternoon, Dugger and Pierre’s big plays muzzled any hint of a Bengals comeback.
While the offense had looked good under Mason Rudolph during the second half, the only points it had managed by the end of the third quarter were a Chris Boswell field goal. The Bengals were maneuvering into Pittsburgh territory when, on third down with the pressure getting to Flacco, Kyle Dugger was in robber coverage and picked of Flacco’s pass, taking it to the house for 73 yards.
Kyle Dugger takes it to the house. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com
The Bengals responded with a field goal, and the Steelers answered with a long, clock-consuming drive that ended in Gianwell’s second touchdown.
Only 3:40 remained and the Steelers held a 27-12 lead, but we’ve seen this team ensure that games remain interesting to the very end. That didn’t happen this time. On the first play after the Gainwell’s touchdown, Flacco hit Noah Faint for 5 yards. Brandon Echols forced a fumble, which James Pierre returned for a 34-yard touchdown.
Pittsburgh Keeps Pace in the AFC North
The win improved the Steelers record to 6-4, giving them a crucial AFC North win and allowing them to keep pace ahead of the Baltimore Ravens, who extended their winning streak to 4.
Next week brings them to Chicago against the Bears, with tough games against the Lions, Bills and of course the Ravens awaiting them. As the weather turns colder the Steelers would do well to lean into the lesson learned against the Bengals: When in doubt, hit harder.
