Steelers Rout Bengals to Keep Playoff Hopes Alive
Coming into Saturday’s game having lost three straight and four of their last five, the Steelers’ playoff hopes were quickly slipping out of their hands with the red-hot Bengals coming to town. However, with head coach Mike Tomlin looking to find a spark in the quarterback performance, third-string quarterback Mason Rudolph would get the start replacing backup Mitchell Trubisky and would help save Christmas and possibly the Steelers’ 2023 playoff aspirations leading Pittsburgh to a 34-11 victory over the Bengals. Let’s take a look at how the Steelers were able to cool down their division rival and keep their season alive.
The Steelers would get on the board first on their first drive of the game after wide receiver George Pickens would turn a short pass from Rudolph into an 86-yard touchdown catch and run to give Pittsburgh a 7-0 lead in the quarter. The Steelers defense would give their offense the ball right back after cornerback Patrick Peterson intercepted the Bengals’ backup quarterback Jake Browning in the end zone. Pittsburgh would capitalize on the turnover following a seven-yard touchdown run by wideout Calvin Austin III to extend their lead to 14-0 to open up the second quarter. The Steelers would take advantage of another Browning interception and extend their lead to 21-0 midway through the quarter on a three-yard run by running back Najee Harris.
Coming out of halftime down 24-0, the Bengals would make things interesting for a brief amount of time following a Browning 80-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Tee Higgins on their first play from scrimmage in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 24-8. However, the Steelers would diminish any sort of hope for the Bengals with a crushing 66-yard touchdown pass to Pickens to extend the Steelers’ lead to 31-8 and ultimately end the game for the Bengals. The Pittsburgh defense would close out the game with a dominant display limiting a Bengals’ offense that had scored 25 + points in three straight games since losing Joe Burrow to a season-ending wrist injury in Week 11.
In the victory, Steelers’ quarterback Mason Rudolph provided the spark Pittsburgh was looking for as he would finish the game going 17 for 27, with 290 passing yards and two touchdowns. It was also an impressive night for wide receiver George Pickens, who passed the 1,000 receiving yard mark after hauling in four catches for 195 yards and two touchdowns. The absence of star receiver Ja’Marr Chase was on display for the Bengals’ offense, as they were unable to find any sort of consistent rhythm. In the loss, Browning would be under constant pressure from the Steelers’ defense and would go 28 for 42, with 335 passing yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions. The lone bright spot for the Bengals offensively came from Higgins, who had five catches for 140 yards and a touchdown. Both teams will be aiming to keep their wild card hopes alive next week as the Bengals travel to Kansas City to face the Chiefs, while the Steelers will square off against the Seahawks.
