It was like a heavyweight fight in which the defending champion came in looking for an early knockout.
Playing the role of the defending champion was the Steelers, and for them the knockout of the Bengals came quickly and with a thundering blow to a number of their key players.
With that knockout came another impressive win for the black and gold, their fourth in five games as they dominated the AFC North leading Bengals 33-20 at Paul Brown Stadium.
What does it mean for the now 8-5 Steelers? They have to keep winning – and up next is another tough test – the AFC West leading Denver Broncos, who will come to Heinz Field for a 4:25pm kick.
The Jets and Chiefs both won Sunday, meaning as of now the Steelers are still on the outside looking in on a playoff spot with three games left to play.
Sunday though in Cincy there was a major chip on the Steelers shoulder, and it showed in the pregame when the two teams got into it during warm ups.
They never let up, as they seemed to put their foot on the gas in the opening kickoff and never let up, scoring 33 points, and putting up 354 yards in the 13-point win that could have been more.
Ben Roethlisberger was 30-for-39 for 282 yards with a pick, but he also helped the team with being smart with the ball, and hitting big plays. The Steelers were 8-for-14 on third downs.
Right away the Steelers moved quickly downfield on their opening drive for a DeAngelo Williams score to take a defining 7-0 lead at the 9:28 mark of the first quarter.
The Bengals offense came right back, and it looked like it was going to be a tie game, when the game and season for Cincinnati totally changed.
Stephon Truitt picked off an Andy Dalton shovel pass, and the Bengals quarterback hurt his right thumb while making the tackle. Dalton’s hand was placed in a black cast, and he was done for the day.
The Bengals had a number of big players go down, not only Dalton but TE Tyler Eifert left the game as well.
The Steelers got two field goals from Chris Boswell to make it 13-0 midway though the second quarter, but they allowed the Bengals back into the game as backup QB A.J. McCarron hit A.J. Green for a 66-yard score to make it 13-7 with 6:33 to play in the half.
Boswell got another field goal to make it 16-7, this time from 45 yards out give the Steelers a nine-point lead at the half.
McCarron made a critical mistake early in the third, as William Gay picked him off and went 23 yards just 50 seconds into the third quarter to make it a 23-7 game.
Mike Nugent kicked a 46-yard field goal to draw Cincinnati to 23-10, but Boswell hit a field goal to push the lead to 
26-10 on the first play of the fourth quarter.
The Bengals marched down the field down 16, but inside the Steelers 10 instead of going for a TD, they kicked a chip shot field goal to make it a 26-13 game.
The Steelers put the game away after a pick of McCarron by Robert Golden to seal the win. Williams went in from a yard out to make it 33-13.
The Bengals got a garbage TD as McCarron hit Rex Burkhead from five yards out with 1:07 to play to close out the game at 33-20.
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DaveB.
December 13, 2015 at 9:30 pm
This was a great all around win for the Steelers . The offense played well and the defense looked good also . At 8-5 the game next Sunday against Denver in Heinz field is pivitol for the Steelers . Tied with the Chiefs and Jets at 8-5 and fighting for a wildcard , the Steelers have no margin for error . With that being said , I hate to rain on the Steelers parade , but the Steelers are one of the most undisiplined teams in the NFL . The rediculous celebrations after every first down and big play has gotten completely out of hand . The William Gay interception of A.J. Mcarron was a great play and it changed the complexion of the game . However , the rediculous dancing that followed by him and Mike Mitchell was uncalled for . In addition , you have linebacker coach Joey Porter literally crawling on his knees from the sidelines to the field making it that much worse . Bottom line , its gotten way out of hand and its time for Tomlin to put his foot down . Theres absolutely nothing wrong with spiking the ball or high fiving a team mate and then get off the field . What the Steelers are doing is taking it to another level . In addition , the Antonio Brown raising the ball to the crowd and dropping it every time he gets a first down is getting really old as well . At the end of the day youre a professional , just act like youve been there before .
Bobby
December 13, 2015 at 11:14 pm
It goes back to the Head Coach not sending a message to knock some of the shit off. That said, a trip to the Super Bowl would be great. The offense is very impressive and the defense is improving every week. Steelers have to get rid of Blake because he is toast now
Bobby
December 13, 2015 at 11:17 pm
If this team stays healthy, they will have 3 years of Super Bowl championships potential
DrGeorge
December 14, 2015 at 10:21 am
Yes, it was an important victory. It prevented Cincinnati from clinching the division, and it kept the Steelers even with KC and the Jets (both also won on Sunday) for a wild card spot. The defense continues to improve, and the O-line blocking was better too. Splendid!
But – you knew there would be a “but” – the Bengals starting QB left the game in the first quarter and injuries \ concussions took away the Bengals starting TE and several key defensive players. Like the Colts win, this was a victory over a backup QB and a decimated defense. And it was still a struggle at that in which we made a backup QB look good.
And at times, we were our own worst enemy. The comments above mentioned the lack of discipline that resulted in several penalties. Enough said on that. But what about the lapses on defense: the poor tackling by the secondary, Blake’s propensity for getting burned deep, the Bengals consistent success on pass routes over the middle, and our inability to stop the running game at times. Butler still has work to do there.
But most troubling of all is Haley, our OC, who is beginning to evoke thoughts of Robert Lewis Stevenson’s character, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde – the personification of good and evil in one body. After the Colts game, I thought he had seen the light – when we run the ball, good things happen. And in the first quarter against the Bengals, Dr. Jekyll called the plays. We ran often, we ran in the red zone, we scored a rushing TD, and we got off to an early lead. Then in quarters 2 and 3, Mr. Hyde appeared. We stopped running and relied mostly on Ben’s arm. We stalled four times in the red zone and had to settle for FGs, while Ben took two sacks and threw an interception. Then, late in the 4th quarter, Dr. Jekyll came back, we balanced the passing with running and ran the ball into the end zone to clinch the game.
Proving once again: “When we run the ball, good things happen.” So, c’mon, Todd – throw away Dr. Jekyll’s elixir. No more Mr. Hyde!