STEELERS BLOWOUT WIN OVER OF BENGALS (NFL)
Steelers finally find a winning formula, at least against the dreadful Bengals
For one night, at least, all was well again with the Pittsburgh Steelers. All it took was a visit from a team with problems even bigger than theirs.
The Steelers finally got into the win column by riding a sharp outing by their young fill-in starter at quarterback, Mason Rudolph, and a sack-happy defensive performance to a 27-3 triumph Monday over the winless Cincinnati Bengals at Heinz Field.
“I think it’s just a lesson for all of us,” Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin said afterward. “In an effort for us to be at our best, it takes collaborative work in all three phases to produce an environment where your strengths get an opportunity to show. And it was able to show tonight.”
The “Monday Night Football” matchup of 0-3 teams became a showcase for Rudolph, who completed 24 of 28 passes for 229 yards and two touchdowns in his second NFL start.
The Steelers have eased the second-year pro into the lineup with a cautious approach as he replaces Ben Roethlisberger, who’s sidelined after season-ending elbow surgery. They stuck mostly to a short passing game that yielded a second-quarter touchdown throw to tailback James Conner. But Rudolph also unleashed a down-the-field throw with a 43-yard touchdown to a wide-open Diontae Johnson in the third quarter.
“You go through a week of preparation,” Rudolph told ESPN on the field after the game, “and you figure it out.”
Jaylen Samuels added a third-quarter touchdown run when he lined up at quarterback and took a shotgun snap out of a Wildcat formation. The Steelers, at 1-3, suddenly find themselves only a game behind the first-place Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North.
They host the Ravens on Sunday with a chance to continue to patch their season back together. They’ll probably have to have more offensive variety than they demonstrated with Monday’s dink-and-dunk tactics. They’ll have to allow Rudolph to throw the ball down the field more often to keep better defenses off balance. But first, they needed to beat the Bengals and keep their season from falling apart completely. What they did Monday worked just fine against Cincinnati.
This was the Steelers’ first victory since trading wide receiver Antonio Brown and allowing tailback Le’Veon Bell to leave via free agency in the offseason in what was supposed to be an addition-by-subtraction housecleaning. It became more like subtraction by subtraction when Roethlisberger got hurt. But Rudolph halted the downward spiral, at least temporarily, Monday.
“I showed that I’m a team player and I’m a leader,” Rudolph said. “We showed that we can respond to adversity.”
Tomlin improved his career Monday night record with the Steelers to 14-2. The Steelers won their 17th straight home game on Monday nights, a streak that far predates Tomlin’s coaching tenure and began in 1992.
The Bengals, now 0-4, remained winless under their first-year coach, Zac Taylor. Quarterback Andy Dalton was sacked eight times, lost a fumble and threw an interception while playing behind an overmatched offensive line.
“The level of play hasn’t been up to our standard,” Dalton said at his postgame news conference, “and it’s got to get better.”
Things look rather hopeless, at least in the short term, for Taylor and the Bengals. In a week-to-week, what-have-you-done-lately league, the Steelers emerged from Monday night’s game with the right to believe that better times could be ahead.
In-game updates
4th Quarter
Another FG for Boswell: Chris Boswell’s second field goal of the night, a 49-yarder, has increased the Steelers’ lead. (Steelers 27, Bengals 3 with 5:51 left in the 4th quarter)
Dalton throws interception: The Bengals can’t even score cosmetic points. They reached the Pittsburgh 8-yard line before being pushed back by a false start. On fourth and goal from the 13-yard line, Andy Dalton threw an end zone interception to the Steelers’ Mark Barron. (Steelers 24, Bengals 3 with 11:02 left in the 4th quarter)
3rd Quarter
It’s a blowout now: The Steelers finally put aside their dink-and-dunk approach and allowed Mason Rudolph to throw the ball down the field, and it worked beautifully. Diontae Johnson got wide open and Rudolph made an on-target throw for a 43-yard touchdown. The Steelers are on a roll now, and Rudolph has completed 20 of 23 passes for 207 yards and two touchdowns. (Steelers 24, Bengals 3 with 9:24 left in the 3rd quarter)
Steelers get quick TD: The Steelers added to their lead with a nice drive to begin the third quarter. Jaylen Samuels scored on a two-yard run after lining up at quarterback and taking a shotgun snap. After a sluggish start on offense in the first quarter, the Steelers moved the ball well in the second quarter and that has continued into the early stages of the second half. (Steelers 17, Bengals 3 with 10:36 left in the 3rd quarter)
Halftime in Pittsburgh: Mason Rudolph, Pittsburgh’s fill-in starter at quarterback with Ben Roethlisberger reduced to spectator status after undergoing season-ending elbow surgery, completed 17 of 18 first-half passes and the Steelers lead the Bengals, 10-3. The Steelers are sticking to a short-passing game with Rudolph and he’s been sharp. He threw a second-quarter touchdown pass to tailback James Conner and the Steelers added a field goal just before halftime. They could have been further ahead if not for their woes with their short-yardage offense. Conner was stopped on a fourth-and-one try in the first quarter and Jaylen Samuels was thrown for a loss on a third-and-three run before the field goal. The Bengals managed only a first-quarter field goal, and quarterback Andy Dalton lost a fumble on a sack to end a promising second-quarter drive. The game has had the requisite officiating issues. The Bengals appeared to contend to the officials that the Steelers’ touchdown should have been nullified by a penalty for a lineman being illegally down the field. But it went uncalled and that is not reviewable by replay. Coach Mike Tomlin also lost an instant replay challenge attempting to overturn an offensive pass interference penalty called against the Steelers. (Steelers 10, Bengals 3 at halftime)
Steelers increase lead: Pittsburgh upped its lead with a 29-yard field goal by kicker Chris Boswell. The Steelers moved the ball well but their short-yardage offense remained a problem. Jaylen Samuels was thrown for a four-yard loss on a third-and-three rushing attempt right before Boswell’s kick. (Steelers 10, Bengals 3 with 58 seconds left in the 2nd quarter)
Dalton loses fumble: The Bengals had a nice drive going, reaching the Pittsburgh 18-yard line. But on a first-down play, Dalton lost a fumble on a sack by the Steelers’ Bud Dupree. Maybe the Bengals should have gone back to that “Filthy Brady” audible they used earlier on the drive. (Steelers 7, Bengals 3 with 5:49 left in the 2nd quarter)
‘Filthy Brady’ for Bengals?: Quarterback Andy Dalton could be heard on the ESPN broadcast using a “Filthy Brady!” audible call with the Bengals at the line of scrimmage.
Steelers take lead: The Steelers, seeking their first victory of the season, have the lead over the also-winless Bengals in the second quarter at Heinz Field. Fill-in quarterback Mason Rudolph threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to tailback James Conner. The Steelers capitalized on a short field, taking over at the Cincinnati 46-yard line after pinning the Bengals deep in their own territory and forcing a punt. On a third-and-two play, Rudolph sprinted out to his right and threw a dart of a short throw to Conner, who bulled his way into the end zone. The Steelers are sticking to a short-passing game with Rudolph and he’s off to an 11-for-12 start. (Steelers 7, Bengals 3 with 10:32 left in the 2nd quarter)
1st Quarter
Tomlin loses challenge: Even a member of the NFL’s rulemaking competition committee can’t get an instant replay challenge of pass interference right. Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin, a member of that committee, challenged an offensive pass interference penalty called on Pittsburgh wide receiver Johnny Holton. He’d been penalized for a light push-off of a defender. But there certainly was contact and, after the replay review, referee Bill Vinovich announced that the call on the field stood. The Steelers lost a timeout and Tomlin has only one replay challenge remaining in the game.
Steelers stuffed on fourth down: Not much has gone right for the Steelers in the early stages of this season, and the misery is continuing early in this game. Coach Mike Tomlin left his offense on the field for a fourth-and-one try from the Cincinnati 42-yard line. It didn’t work, as tailback James Conner was stopped for no gain. (Bengals 3, Steelers 0 with 4:02 left in 1st quarter)
Bengals get FG off turnover: The Bengals have the early lead in Pittsburgh in a matchup of 0-3 teams. Cincinnati got a field goal off a Steelers’ turnover, a fumble lost by Diontae Johnson following a catch on Pittsburgh’s second offensive play. That set up the Bengals at the Pittsburgh 15-yard line but they had to settle for a 28-yard field goal by kicker Randy Bullock. On the play before Bullock’s kick, quarterback Andy Dalton’s third-and-five pass sailed a bit high and the ball bounced off the fingertips of tight end Tyler Eifert in the end zone for an incompletion. The Bengals had punted on the game’s opening possession. (Bengals 3, Steelers 0 with 8:22 left in the 1st quarter)
For one night, at least, all was well again with the Pittsburgh Steelers. All it took was a visit from a team with problems even bigger than theirs.
The Steelers finally got into the win column by riding a sharp outing by their young fill-in starter at quarterback, Mason Rudolph, and a sack-happy defensive performance to a 27-3 triumph Monday over the winless Cincinnati Bengals at Heinz Field.
“I think it’s just a lesson for all of us,” Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin said afterward. “In an effort for us to be at our best, it takes collaborative work in all three phases to produce an environment where your strengths get an opportunity to show. And it was able to show tonight.”
The “Monday Night Football” matchup of 0-3 teams became a showcase for Rudolph, who completed 24 of 28 passes for 229 yards and two touchdowns in his second NFL start.
The Steelers have eased the second-year pro into the lineup with a cautious approach as he replaces Ben Roethlisberger, who’s sidelined after season-ending elbow surgery. They stuck mostly to a short passing game that yielded a second-quarter touchdown throw to tailback James Conner. But Rudolph also unleashed a down-the-field throw with a 43-yard touchdown to a wide-open Diontae Johnson in the third quarter.
“You go through a week of preparation,” Rudolph told ESPN on the field after the game, “and you figure it out.”
Jaylen Samuels added a third-quarter touchdown run when he lined up at quarterback and took a shotgun snap out of a Wildcat formation. The Steelers, at 1-3, suddenly find themselves only a game behind the first-place Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North.
They host the Ravens on Sunday with a chance to continue to patch their season back together. They’ll probably have to have more offensive variety than they demonstrated with Monday’s dink-and-dunk tactics. They’ll have to allow Rudolph to throw the ball down the field more often to keep better defenses off balance. But first, they needed to beat the Bengals and keep their season from falling apart completely. What they did Monday worked just fine against Cincinnati.
This was the Steelers’ first victory since trading wide receiver Antonio Brown and allowing tailback Le’Veon Bell to leave via free agency in the offseason in what was supposed to be an addition-by-subtraction housecleaning. It became more like subtraction by subtraction when Roethlisberger got hurt. But Rudolph halted the downward spiral, at least temporarily, Monday.
“I showed that I’m a team player and I’m a leader,” Rudolph said. “We showed that we can respond to adversity.”
Tomlin improved his career Monday night record with the Steelers to 14-2. The Steelers won their 17th straight home game on Monday nights, a streak that far predates Tomlin’s coaching tenure and began in 1992.
The Bengals, now 0-4, remained winless under their first-year coach, Zac Taylor. Quarterback Andy Dalton was sacked eight times, lost a fumble and threw an interception while playing behind an overmatched offensive line.
“The level of play hasn’t been up to our standard,” Dalton said at his postgame news conference, “and it’s got to get better.”
Things look rather hopeless, at least in the short term, for Taylor and the Bengals. In a week-to-week, what-have-you-done-lately league, the Steelers emerged from Monday night’s game with the right to believe that better times could be ahead.
In-game updates
4th Quarter
Another FG for Boswell: Chris Boswell’s second field goal of the night, a 49-yarder, has increased the Steelers’ lead. (Steelers 27, Bengals 3 with 5:51 left in the 4th quarter)
Dalton throws interception: The Bengals can’t even score cosmetic points. They reached the Pittsburgh 8-yard line before being pushed back by a false start. On fourth and goal from the 13-yard line, Andy Dalton threw an end zone interception to the Steelers’ Mark Barron. (Steelers 24, Bengals 3 with 11:02 left in the 4th quarter)
3rd Quarter
It’s a blowout now: The Steelers finally put aside their dink-and-dunk approach and allowed Mason Rudolph to throw the ball down the field, and it worked beautifully. Diontae Johnson got wide open and Rudolph made an on-target throw for a 43-yard touchdown. The Steelers are on a roll now, and Rudolph has completed 20 of 23 passes for 207 yards and two touchdowns. (Steelers 24, Bengals 3 with 9:24 left in the 3rd quarter)
Steelers get quick TD: The Steelers added to their lead with a nice drive to begin the third quarter. Jaylen Samuels scored on a two-yard run after lining up at quarterback and taking a shotgun snap. After a sluggish start on offense in the first quarter, the Steelers moved the ball well in the second quarter and that has continued into the early stages of the second half. (Steelers 17, Bengals 3 with 10:36 left in the 3rd quarter)
Halftime in Pittsburgh: Mason Rudolph, Pittsburgh’s fill-in starter at quarterback with Ben Roethlisberger reduced to spectator status after undergoing season-ending elbow surgery, completed 17 of 18 first-half passes and the Steelers lead the Bengals, 10-3. The Steelers are sticking to a short-passing game with Rudolph and he’s been sharp. He threw a second-quarter touchdown pass to tailback James Conner and the Steelers added a field goal just before halftime. They could have been further ahead if not for their woes with their short-yardage offense. Conner was stopped on a fourth-and-one try in the first quarter and Jaylen Samuels was thrown for a loss on a third-and-three run before the field goal. The Bengals managed only a first-quarter field goal, and quarterback Andy Dalton lost a fumble on a sack to end a promising second-quarter drive. The game has had the requisite officiating issues. The Bengals appeared to contend to the officials that the Steelers’ touchdown should have been nullified by a penalty for a lineman being illegally down the field. But it went uncalled and that is not reviewable by replay. Coach Mike Tomlin also lost an instant replay challenge attempting to overturn an offensive pass interference penalty called against the Steelers. (Steelers 10, Bengals 3 at halftime)
Steelers increase lead: Pittsburgh upped its lead with a 29-yard field goal by kicker Chris Boswell. The Steelers moved the ball well but their short-yardage offense remained a problem. Jaylen Samuels was thrown for a four-yard loss on a third-and-three rushing attempt right before Boswell’s kick. (Steelers 10, Bengals 3 with 58 seconds left in the 2nd quarter)
Dalton loses fumble: The Bengals had a nice drive going, reaching the Pittsburgh 18-yard line. But on a first-down play, Dalton lost a fumble on a sack by the Steelers’ Bud Dupree. Maybe the Bengals should have gone back to that “Filthy Brady” audible they used earlier on the drive. (Steelers 7, Bengals 3 with 5:49 left in the 2nd quarter)
‘Filthy Brady’ for Bengals?: Quarterback Andy Dalton could be heard on the ESPN broadcast using a “Filthy Brady!” audible call with the Bengals at the line of scrimmage.
Steelers take lead: The Steelers, seeking their first victory of the season, have the lead over the also-winless Bengals in the second quarter at Heinz Field. Fill-in quarterback Mason Rudolph threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to tailback James Conner. The Steelers capitalized on a short field, taking over at the Cincinnati 46-yard line after pinning the Bengals deep in their own territory and forcing a punt. On a third-and-two play, Rudolph sprinted out to his right and threw a dart of a short throw to Conner, who bulled his way into the end zone. The Steelers are sticking to a short-passing game with Rudolph and he’s off to an 11-for-12 start. (Steelers 7, Bengals 3 with 10:32 left in the 2nd quarter)
1st Quarter
Tomlin loses challenge: Even a member of the NFL’s rulemaking competition committee can’t get an instant replay challenge of pass interference right. Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin, a member of that committee, challenged an offensive pass interference penalty called on Pittsburgh wide receiver Johnny Holton. He’d been penalized for a light push-off of a defender. But there certainly was contact and, after the replay review, referee Bill Vinovich announced that the call on the field stood. The Steelers lost a timeout and Tomlin has only one replay challenge remaining in the game.
Steelers stuffed on fourth down: Not much has gone right for the Steelers in the early stages of this season, and the misery is continuing early in this game. Coach Mike Tomlin left his offense on the field for a fourth-and-one try from the Cincinnati 42-yard line. It didn’t work, as tailback James Conner was stopped for no gain. (Bengals 3, Steelers 0 with 4:02 left in 1st quarter)
Bengals get FG off turnover: The Bengals have the early lead in Pittsburgh in a matchup of 0-3 teams. Cincinnati got a field goal off a Steelers’ turnover, a fumble lost by Diontae Johnson following a catch on Pittsburgh’s second offensive play. That set up the Bengals at the Pittsburgh 15-yard line but they had to settle for a 28-yard field goal by kicker Randy Bullock. On the play before Bullock’s kick, quarterback Andy Dalton’s third-and-five pass sailed a bit high and the ball bounced off the fingertips of tight end Tyler Eifert in the end zone for an incompletion. The Bengals had punted on the game’s opening possession. (Bengals 3, Steelers 0 with 8:22 left in the 1st quarter)
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