Lawrence Timmons #94 of the Pittsburgh Steelers celebrates with Brett Keisel #99 and Ziggy Hood #96 after intercepting a pass in the fourth quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium
With the game on the line, the Steelers defense finally came through.
Unlike a week ago when the Ravens drove the length of the field for the game-winning score with less than :10 seconds left, the Steelers D got two late picks of rookie Andy Dalton, as the Steelers topped the Bengals 24-17 at Paul Brown Stadium.
Rashard Mendenhall ran for a pair of touchdowns, and the Steelers started fast then scored when they needed to as they get to 7-3 at the bye week.
The Steelrs end the Bengals’ five-game winning streak and got a huge division road win. Ben Roethlisberger led long, balanced drives at the start of the game, as the Steelers led 14-0 while the defense held the Bengals to two three and outs to start the afternoon.
Mendenhall’s 9-yard run put the Steelers’ up 24-17 late in the third quarter. Cincinnati (6-3) had a couple of late chances behind its impressive young quarterback, who handled most of what Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau threw at him.
Dalton had two more touchdown passes, giving him 14 overall — the most by a rookie quarterback in his first nine games since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. He wasn’t sacked even though the Steelers blitzed him every way they could.
Near the end, a Steelers defense that’s starting to get healthy and force turnovers finally thwarted him.
Pittsburgh came in with only two interceptions all season. Cornerback William Gay anticipated Dalton’s throw and stepped in front of Jerome Simpson for a clinching interception inside the Pittsburgh 20-yard line with 2:27 left.
Dalton was 15 of 30 for 170 yards and touchdown passes of 36 yards to fellow rookie A.J. Green and 1 yard to Jermaine Gresham. Green twisted his right knee on his first-quarter catch and was limited the rest of the way, relegated to standing on the sideline for the decisive moments of the fourth quarter.
Once the Steelers stopped their self-destruction, they put it away.
The defending AFC champions needed this one. The Steelers already have been swept by Baltimore, and a loss in Cincinnati would have left them 0-3 in division games — a bad mark in a big tiebreaker.
They got off to another fast start, then held on in a gusty wind that made the goal posts shimmy and passes float.
Roethlisberger was 21 of 33 for 245 yards with one touchdown and an interception. He was sacked five times, matching his season high.
Roethlisberger found Jerricho Cotchery uncovered in the end zone for a 16-yard score that got thousands of Terrible Towels waving. It was the fifth time in the last six games that the Steelers reached the end zone on their opening possession.
Mendenhall ran 2 yards for a 14-0 lead on the Steelers’ next possession. At that point, Pittsburgh had a 132-8 advantage in yards.
Dalton got the Bengals back in it by doing what he does best — throw the ball Green’s way so he can make a game-changing play. After running away from the pass rush, Dalton threw 36 yards to Green, who went up between safeties Troy Polamalu and Ryan Clark to make the catch in the end zone.
Green, the NFL’s top rookie receiver, landed awkwardly on his right leg on the play. He lay on the field for a couple of minutes and limped off with a sore right knee, but returned for the next series. He was on the sideline during the second half.
The Steelers helped the Bengals keep it close.
Tight end Heath Miller bobbled a pass directly to cornerback Leon Hall for an interception that set up Mike Nugent’s 43-yard field goal, cutting it to 14-10. Miller had another bad moment late in the first half, wiping out an apparent touchdown with an interference penalty. Shaun Suisham’s 39-yard field goal gave Pittsburgh a 17-10 halftime lead.
Hall, the Bengals’ top cornerback, hurt his left Achilles tendon on that drive and didn’t return.
Dalton pulled the Bengals even with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Gresham on their first drive of the second half. Pittsburgh then pulled off a tone-setting drive, covering 81 yards in 11 plays. Mendenhall’s 9-yard run put the Steelers up 24-17 late in the third quarter.
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Peter
November 13, 2011 at 6:36 pm
The steelers won the game. We have an average offensive line with a QB that holds on to the ball. Bad combination. I loved the way they played on defense. Gay had a great game and game up big late. Glad to see he stepped up after last week. The steelers closed the game out doing it exactly the opposite of the way most people want them to, even me.
7-3 at the bye. I’ll take it. Most steeler fans won’t which is not surprising or unexpected.
George H
November 13, 2011 at 9:19 pm
I’m happy with the 7-3 record at the bye and at a time when we really need some rest to heal the nagging injuries. Theres still a lot of work to do for the Steelers to get back to being SB contenders again. The secondary really needs to get better at covering the deep ball and the run defense has to improve. The offense needs to figure out what direction they are going in because the play-calling is still extremely inconsistent. Finally, the Steelers really need to keep their mouths shut and let their play do that talking. Having Clark and Harrison rip the commish and the league only hurts the team even if its true. Theres a reason why we have to play the refs every week and its because our guys continue to fuel the fire
Mark
November 14, 2011 at 10:26 am
7-3 at the bye. With the schedule seeming in Pittsburghs favor, 11-5 or 12-4 is not out of reach. There were a few games the team could have won (Texans, Ravens) and there are a few they could have lost(Colts,Jags) in these 10 games. Maybe we are right where we should be? Anyway, with the Ravens seeming to blow their load against the Steelers, maybe after the bye week if the Steelers can rattle off 3 in a row they can clinch a playoff spot at 10 wins right away? Im not getting ahead of myself, just look at the jumbled AFC and the North. If Ravens keep slipping up and the Steelers can sweep the Bengals while getting a couple more AFC wins (Chiefs,Browns) that 10 wins would put them in great position. Obviously the same old problems reared their heads yesterday, but otherwise it was a good win on the road against a divisional rival that is playing very well. If the Steelers get rested, healthy and focused they will be a tough out down the stretch. This late bye week came at a great time in my opinion.