What went right, wrong at Cincinnati

The highs and lows of the Steelers Week 15 game vs. the Cincinnati Bengals. 1:00 p.m. ET - Kickoff 1:06 p.m. ET - What went wrong: It was a third-and-7 on the opening possession of the game. The Steelers were getting decent pressure on Andy Dalton once he settled in the pocket. As he was running past, Stephon Tuitt reached out to try to grab Dalton but got nothing but facemask. The penalty gave Cincinnati a fresh set of downs at its own 43-yard line. 1:15 p.m. ET - What went wrong: Following the gift first down, the Bengals offense found a rhythm. Andy Dalton completed a couple of passes to Brandon LaFell, Jeremy Hill carried five times for 13 yards, and the Bengals worked themselves into a first-and-goal at the Steelers 7-yard line before having to settle for a 23-yard field goal from Randy Bullock for a 3-0 lead with 7:39 remaining in the first quarter. **1:17 p.m. ET - What went right:* On the kickoff following Randy Bullock’s first quarter field goal, Sammie Coates took the ball at the 1-yard line and returned it 44 yards to the Pittsburgh 45-yard line. It was the team’s longest kickoff return this season. 1:22 p.m. ET - What went right: The Steelers turned Sammie Coates’ kickoff return into the tying field goal. Ben Roethlisberger completed 3-for-4 on the possession, and Chris Boswell was called upon after Ladarius Green dropped a short pass on a third-and-11 from the Bengals 27-yard line. Boswell’s field goal traveled 45 yards and tied the game with 3:42 left in the first quarter. 1:37 p.m. ET - What went wrong: It took the Bengals four plays to score from the 1-yard line, and they were on the 1-yard line as a result of a pass interference penalty on Artie Burns that occurred in the end zone. The penalty accounted for 39 of the 64 yards on the drive, and Andy Dalton’s 1-yard sneak came on the final play of the first quarter. *1:53 p.m. ET - What went wrong:* The Bengals put together a 10-play, 82-yard touchdown drive early in the second quarter to up their lead to 17-3, and they didn’t need any help from penalties. Andy Dalton completed 6-for-7 for 74 of the yards, and then Jeremy Hill punched the ball into the end zone. 2:03 p.m. ET - What went wrong: It seemed to be a 13-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Brown that would cut the Bengals’ lead to 17-10 pending the extra point, but the points were taken off the scoreboard by a chop-block penalty on Le’Veon Bell that appeared somewhat questionable and late. The Steelers ended up with a 49-yard field goal from Chris Boswell, and it was 17-6. 2:15 p.m. ET - What went right: On the kickoff following Chris Boswell’s 49-yard field goal, Alex Erickson returned it 72 yards before being tripped by Boswell to save a touchdown. The Steelers defense again stiffened inside the 5-yard line, and the Bengals settled for another field goal to take a 20-6 lead with 2:51 remaining in the first half. 2:31 p.m. ET - Halftime: Bengals 20, Steelers 9 3:01 p.m. ET - What went right: A fourth field goal from Chris Boswell cut the Bengals lead to 20-12 with 10:38 remaining in the third quarter, but it again seemed as though the possession could have yielded more. A third-and-6 from the 17-yard line became a third-and-11 from the 22-yard line as the result of a false start on the right side of the Steelers offensive line. Then on the next play, Shawn Williams grabbed Antonio Brown’s facemask as Pacman Jones was deflecting a pass in the end zone, but there was no call. 3:09 p.m. ET - What went right: The Steelers defense forced Cincinnati to punt for the first time at the midway point of the third quarter. After the Bengals managed a couple of first downs on the possession, William Gay dropped Jeremy Hill for a 3-yard loss on first down, and then on third down Ryan Shazier sacked Andy Dalton for a loss of 11. It was the Steelers’ first sack of the game. 3:21 p.m. ET - What went right: Chris Boswell’s fifth field goal, and another from 49 yards to boot, cut the Steelers’ deficit to 20-15 with 2:05 left in the third quarter. The big play on the drive was a 28-yard completion from Ben Roethlisberger to Eli Rogers, and Roethlisberger also converted a third-and-5 with a 5-yard pass to Ladarius Green. *3:28 p.m. ET - What went right:* On the possession following Boswell’s fifth field goal, the Steelers defense got its first takeaway of the game. Attempting to get the ball to Tyler Boyd over the middle, Andy Dalton had his pass intercepted by Ryan Shazier. His 16-yard return set up the offense at the Bengals 34-yard line. 3:36 p.m. ET - What went right: Chris Boswell’s sixth field goal tied him with Jeff Reed and Gary Anderson for the Steelers’ most in a single game, but it also represented a red zone failure. After a 17-yard completion to Eli Rogers gave the Steelers a second-and-3 from the Cincinnati 12-yard line, Le’Veon Bell was stopped for no gain and Ben Roethlisberger’s pass for Landry Jones in the end zone was incomplete. The Bengals led, 20-18, with more than 12 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. *3:55 p.m. ET - What went right:** The Steelers finally found the end zone, and they may have had Stephon Tuitt to thank. On a third-and-11 for the Bengals, it was Cockrell who broke up a pass that otherwise would’ve been good for a first down, and the Cincinnati punt that followed gave the Steelers possession at their own 31-yard line. The Bengals defense committed penalties on four straight plays at one point, and the touchdown came on a 24-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger to Eli Rogers. After the two-point conversion attempt failed, the Steelers lead, 24-20 with 7:29 remaining. 4:17 p.m. ET - Final Score: Steelers 24, Bengals 20

What Went Right, What Went Wrong

What went right, wrong at Cincinnati