The highs and lows of the Steelers matchup vs. the Cincinnati Bengals.
COIN TOSS: Bengals call tails. It's tails. Bengals win the toss and elects to defer. The Steelers get the ball first.
4:34 p.m. – What Went Wrong: The Steelers opening possession didn't result in any points, but Jordan Berry's 40-yard punt had the Bengals starting at their own 10-yard line. But on the play, long-snapper Kam Canaday was flagged for holding, and so the Bengals got to start at their own 20-yard line instead.
4:38 p.m. – What Went Right: A run for no gain, a 5-yard completion, and then a run for 4 yards, and the Bengals opened with a three-and-out. The Steelers took over at their own 21-yard line after Ryan Switzer went with a fair catch on Kevin Huber's punt.
4:58 p.m. – What Went Right: The Bengals converted a couple of third downs, but a sack by Anthony Chickillo set up a third-and-13 that the Bengals were unable to convert because Stephon Tuitt deflected the pass at the line of scrimmage. Following the punt, the Steelers took over at their 18-yard line with 56 seconds left in the first quarter.
5:08 p.m. – What Went Wrong: It was a second-and-6 from the Pittsburgh 45-yard line, and just as the ball was about to be snapped, there was movement by a Bengals defensive lineman, but the officials determined there was no offside. The play went on, and Ben Roethlisberger threw into what looked like triple-coverage over the middle in trying to get the ball to JuJu Smith-Schuster. Shawn Williams intercepted the ball and returned it 58 yards for the touchdown that gave the Bengals a 7-0 lead with 12:37 remaining in the second quarter.
5:17 p.m. – What Went Wrong: The Steelers offense moved from their own 27-yard line to the Bengals 38-yard line where they faced a third-and-5. On the play, Ben Roethlisberger was sacked for a 9-yard loss by Christian Ringo, and Jordan Berry came on to punt. The Bengals took over at their own 18-yard line with 8:43 remaining in the second quarter.
5:30 p.m. – What Went Wrong: The Bengals extended their lead to 10-0 after a 49-yard field goal by Randy Bullock with 2:21 left in the second quarter. The field goal capped a 12-play, 51-yard drive that consumed 6:31 of game time during which Jeff Driskel completed 5-of-6 for 51 yards.
5:43 p.m. – What Went Right: The Steelers got their first points of the game on a 39-yard field goal by Matt McCrane as time expired in the first half to cut their halftime deficit to 10-3. The Steelers converted a fourth-and-1 with a 16-yard catch-and-run by Xavier Grimble. A 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty on Ramon Foster two plays later created a down-and-distance situation the Steelers couldn't overcome, which led to the team playing for a field goal.
6:01 p.m. – What Went Right: The Steelers defense forced a three-and-out on the Bengals' opening possession of the second half, and the big play was a 6-yard sack by T.J. Watt on third-and-9. But as good as that was, it could've been better, because Watt stripped the ball loose, but Jeff Driskel recovered his own fumble at the Cincinnati 12-yard line. Kevin Huber's punt ended in a fair catch at the Pittsburgh 45-yard line.
6:08 p.m. – What Went Wrong: The Steelers did not make a first down on their opening possession of the second half. Jordan's Berry's punt 37-yard punt went out of bounds at the Cincinnati 17-yard line with 11:57 left in the third quarter.
6:15 p.m. – What Went Right: A holding penalty on Auden Tate and a sack by Cam Heyward ended the Bengals' next possession, and after a short return of a Kevin Huber punt, the Steelers started at their own 47-yard line with 8:11 left in the third period with Cincinnati holding a 10-3 lead.
6:30 p.m. – What Went Right: When the Steelers offense ran only three plays this time, those plays covered 74 yards in 1:25 of game time and ended with an 11-yard touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger to JuJu Smith Schuster. The drive started with a 47-yard completion to James Washington, and the Steelers had tied the game, 10-10, with 3:50 left in the third quarter.
6:56 p.m. – What Went Right: The Steelers took their first lead of the game, 13-10, with 8:35 remaining in the fourth quarter on a 47-yard field goal by Matt McCrane that capped a 13-play, 48-yard drive. The long gain on the drive was a 22-yard pass to Vance McDonald, but the big play was a 6-yard pass to Jaylen Samuels that converted a fourth-and-5.
7:03 p.m. – What Went Wrong: The Bengals needed only five plays to tie the game, 13-13, with 6:17 remaining in the fourth quarter on a 32-yard field goal by Randy Bullock. The drive began with a 51-yard run by Joe Mixon, but Cam Heyward's sack on a third-and-2 from the Steelers 7-yard line is what forced the Bengals to settle for a field goal.
7:17 p.m. – What Went Right: Matt McCrane put the Steelers back on top, 16-13, with 1:56 remaining in the fourth quarter with a 35-yard field goal that capped a 12-play 58-yard drive. James Conner ran for 2 yards to convert one third down, and a Ben Roethlisberger pass to Eli Rogers gained 10 yards to convert a third-and-10.
7:23 p.m. – What Went Right: This time the defense closed out the game. This time the fourth down pass was incomplete and there was no penalty for pass interference. Jeff Driskel's pass on fourth-and-5 was incomplete, and the Steelers took a knee twice to escape with a 16-13 victory over the Bengals.
FINAL SCORE: Steelers 16, Bengals 13
