The Steelers' 16-10 win over the Bengals on Sunday was not a thing of beauty. Pittsburgh trailed the winless Bengals, 7-3, following intermission, and they were forced to bench quarterback Mason Rudolph in favor of Devlin "Duck" Hodges. But despite their slow start, the Steelers rallied to notch their 10th straight win over their AFC North rival while improving to 6-5 on the season. In the process, Pittsburgh moved to the sixth spot in the AFC standings and would be in the playoffs if the postseason started today.
Conversely, the Bengals, despite a valiant effort, remain winless while strengthening their odds at landing the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 draft. While their defense nearly carried them to a win, two crucial fourth-quarter fumbles sealed the Bengals' 11th loss of the season.
Here's a deeper dive at how the Steelers -- who were without James Conner, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Maurkice Pouncey -- were able to leave the Queen City with a victory.
Why the Steelers won
The Steelers' offense received a jolt in the arm by Hodges, who lofted a 79-yard touchdown pass to James Washington three plays after replacing Rudolph. Pittsburgh's offense also received a solid effort by rookie running back Benny Snell, who rushed for a career-high 98 yards on 21 carries in his first game back after missing the past month with a knee injury. Snell had several key runs down the stretch that helped the Steelers seal the win.
Pittsburgh's defense was the primary reason why the Steelers improved to 5-1 in their last six games. The Steelers' defense sacked Bengals quarterback Ryan Finley four times while allowing just 11 first downs and two third-down conversions. Devin Bush and Minkah Fitzpatrick -- two of Pittsburgh's best defenders all season -- came up with a crucial turnover late in the fourth quarter, with the Bengals down 13-10 but threatening to take the lead. Bud Dupree's sack, forced and recovered fumble of Finley on Cincinnati's last offensive possession sealed the win.
The Steelers' special teams unit also deserves kudos for the win. Kicker Chris Boswell made all four of his kicks that included three field goal conversions, while punter Jordan Berry continued to pin the Bengals' offense deep in their own territory throughout the contest.
Why the Bengals lost
A lack of third-down success was the major reason why Cincinnati's losing streak is now at 13 games, the longest such streak in franchise history. The Bengals went just 2-of-12 on third down while having seven three and outs. Finley struggled with his accuracy, going 12 of 26 while committing his crucial fumble late in the game. The Bengals did not do a good enough job feeding running back Joe Mixon, who received just 18 touches against a Steelers defense that was looking for the pass.
While Tyler Boyd was the Bengals' best offensive weapon (catching passes of 41 and 15 yards on the Bengals' last drive of the first half while giving Cincinnati a 7-3 halftime lead), his fourth-quarter fumble was a pivotal moment in the game. With the Steelers putting more focus on Boyd during the second half, Finley struggled to get the ball to his complementary receivers, with wideout Auden Tate catching just one pass for 10 yards. Giovani Bernard's three receptions was the Bengals' second-highest total behind Boyd.
After forcing a key interception in the first half, the Bengals' defense -- led by Sam Hubbard, Carlos Dunlap, Nick Vigil and Shawn Williams (who picked off Rudolph in the red zone in the first half) -- was unable to come up with a momentum-changing turnover during the second half. They also allowed Hodges to steal the game's momentum on his touchdown pass to Washington that saw Washington stiff-arm defensive back B.W. Webb. Speaking of Webb, his two pass interference penalties set up Pittsburgh's go-ahead field goal with 12 minutes left. The Bengals' run defense, solid for most of the game, fell apart in the game's closing minutes, with Snell gaining 62 yards on seven carries on Pittsburgh's last two possessions.
Turning point
Trailing 7-3, Hodges' 79-yard touchdown pass to Washington changed the complexion of the game. Washington, whose blocking in run support also played a role in Sunday's win, has caught two touchdowns in Pittsburgh's last three games after catching just one touchdown in his first 20 NFL games.
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Play of the game
The Bengals were threatening to take the lead before Bush's fumble of Boyd was scooped up by Fitzpatrick, who has played a role in eight forced turnovers since joining the Steelers two weeks into the regular season. The forced fumble was the first of the season for Bush, Pittsburgh's first-round pick who leads the Steelers in tackles and fumble recoveries. Bush and Fitzpatrick are both leading their respective positions in the AFC Pro Bowl fan voting, along with fellow defensive teammates Cam Heyward and T.J. Watt, who both posted sacks of Finley on Sunday.
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Quotable
"Just felt like our offense needed a spark. Mason wasn't doing enough. Duck came in and provided a spark, made a couple plays. We'll see what next weeks holds next week. But I like the contributions of Duck. I like his readiness. I appreciate the efforts of Mason and also appreciate the support of Mason after we made the change. That's how we get down." -- Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin on his quarterback change midway through the game.
What's next
The Steelers will host the Browns next Sunday in a key AFC North showdown. The Steelers will need to continue winning to remain in the AFC playoff race, while the Browns are also back in the playoff mix after moving to 5-6 following Sunday's home victory over the Dolphins. The Bengals will now prepare to host the Jets, who have won three straight games after routing the visiting Raiders on Sunday.
A recap of our live blog coverage is below.
Live updates
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That will do it for today's coverage of Steelers-Bengals. Thanks for following along! Until next time.
Bryan DeArdo
7 hrs ago
Steelers now 6-5 and move ahead of the Raiders for the 6th spot in the AFC playoffs if the postseason started today. Pittsburgh will host Cleveland next week. The Browns are now 5-6 after defeating the Dolphins at home today. Cincinnati is 0-11 but remain the front-runner to land Joe Burrow with the first overall pick.
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7 hrs ago
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A win in Cincinnati. #HereWeGo
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POWERING THROUGH @Bud_Dupree
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OUR BALL!!!!
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7 hrs ago
Huge play by Bud Dupree that may seal this game for Steelers. Dupree sacked Finley and had the presence of mind to recover the ball.
Bryan DeArdo
7 hrs ago
I'd go screen to Mixon then look to Tate and Boyd downfield. Finley had success throwing 50/50 balls earlier, should go back to that now.
Bryan DeArdo
7 hrs ago
https://twitter.com/NealCoolon...
Neal Coolong
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Hodges has to know to get down there if the pass isn't open (his judgment). No sense in throwing it away. When people complain about running on those downs, this is why they usually do it. I'm not against the pass call, and booting him is the way to do it, but he can't waste it
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Bryan DeArdo
7 hrs ago
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Boswell is good from 26.
PIT 16 | CIN 10
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7 hrs ago
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Boswell adds 3 to the Pittsburgh lead.
3:18 left for the #Bengals offense
PIT 16 - CIN 10 | #SeizeTheDEY
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7 hrs ago
Don't agree with that decision. Run the ball, force the Bengals to either call time or let 40 seconds bleed off the clock.
Bryan DeArdo
7 hrs ago
Snell has 4 carries for 32 yards on this drive. Steelers need to just keep feeding them here. A FG means the Bengals need to score a TD, a big different than just needing a field goal.
Bryan DeArdo
7 hrs ago
Snell 76 yards on 17 carries. Very similar to his Week 5 stat line when he made his first career start.
Bryan DeArdo
7 hrs ago
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7 hrs ago
More Benny Snell football. Snell shows off his speed and ability to get to the outside there on 21 yard run.
Bryan DeArdo
7 hrs ago
Great block on Snell's second down run by James Washington on Shawn Williams.
Bryan DeArdo
7 hrs ago
Steelers need to run it here and kill clock. Don't need anything pretty here. Steelers have three punts and a FG after Duck's TD pass to Washington.
Bryan DeArdo
7 hrs ago
Nice breakup there by Haden on second down. Also good pressure applied on Finley by Tyson Alualu. Haden nearly had another pick on third down as Steelers force another punt. Bengals are 2-12 on third down and have had seven three and outs.
Bryan DeArdo
7 hrs ago
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Taking it away.
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7 hrs ago
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Duck, Duck, Goose
#PITvsCIN | #SeizeTheDEY
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7 hrs ago
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Neal Coolong
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Jordan Berry having a career day when the #Steelers most needed it.
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Bryan DeArdo
7 hrs ago
Good stand by Bengals' defense following the turnover. That sack on first down really killed that drive for Steelers. Credit to Dunlap, who statistically has not had his best season.
Bryan DeArdo
7 hrs ago
Benny Snell prides himself on fourth quarter production. Snell gives Steelers a first down here. Steelers 112 rushing yards on 29 carries. Dunlap comes back and sacks Hodges. Not sure why the Steelers went away from the run there.
Bryan DeArdo
7 hrs ago
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EMPLOYEE
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Gimme that
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7 hrs ago
Fitting that Bush and Fitzpatrick collaborated on that turnover. Bush leads the Steelers with four fumble recoveries, and Fitzpatrick leads the Steelers with five interceptions.
Bryan DeArdo
7 hrs ago
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OUR BALL!
Devin Bush forces the fumble. Minkah picks it up!
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7 hrs ago
Mixon was a really impressive run, turns a -5 yard gain into a nine yard run and a Bengals first own. Cincinnati now in FG range. Now, looks like Boyd fumbled the ball, let's see. Yeah, that's a fumble. Devin Bush forces it out and Minkah Fitzpatrick recovers and appears to stay in bounds.
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CALL HIS
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