Steelers win soggy game over Bengals, 24-16
Associated Press
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger carries the ball in heavy rain as Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Michael Johnson (90) tries to make a tackle during the fourth quarter on Sunday in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh won, 24-16.
Sylvester Washington Jr.Calkins Media
Steelers quarterback Ben Rethlisberger (7) passes under pressure to running back DeAngelo Williams (34) during Sunday蘑菇视频 Week 2 game against the Bengals at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.
PITTSBURGH 鈥� There weren鈥檛 many fireworks between the Steelers and Bengals on Sunday, as the two teams met for the first time since their controversial matchup in the AFC Wild Card game last season.
As off-and-on showers threatened to put a damper on the Steelers鈥� regular-season home opener, both offenses, like the weather, were highly sporadic.
The Steelers ultimately scratched out a 24-16 win over their AFC North rival to improve to 2-0 on the season and 1-0 in the AFC North. With Ben Roethlisberger struggling, the Steelers defense bent but didn鈥檛 break while holding Cincinnati to field goals on all three of its red-zone opportunities.
鈥淲e weren鈥檛 perfect in all three phases, but, we did enough in all three phases to secure a victory versus a very good football team,鈥� head coach Mike Tomlin said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e the defending AFC North champs. A lot to be proud of from that perspective.鈥澨�
After failing to convert on their first two drives, the Steelers scored first when Roethlisberger connected with Xavier Grimble for a 20-yard touchdown pass with 3:46 left in the first quarter. Grimble蘑菇视频 touchdown capped a five-play, 66-yard drive that included a 44-yard completion to Sammie Coates. The third-year tight end caught Roethlisberger蘑菇视频 pass on a slant, broke a tackle and stretched his arms to move the ball just across the goal line for the score.听
鈥淭he crazy thing is I didn鈥檛 even know I scored,鈥� Grimble said. 鈥淚 caught the ball and knew the end zone was close, so I wanted to do everything I could to get in there.鈥�
The Bengals answered with a 25-yard field goal by Mike Nugent on the ensuing drive after stalling in the red zone. Both Nugent and Steelers kicker Chris Boswell would tack on field goals in the second quarter to make it 10-6 into halftime.
Roethlisberger next found Jesse James for a 9-yard touchdown late in the third quarter to extend the Steelers鈥� lead to 17-6. Cincinnati responded with a 10-play, 72-yard drive but was again held without a touchdown and forced to settle for a 21-yard Nugent field goal. Roethlisberger later connected with DeAngelo Williams for a 4-yard touchdown with 6:54 left in the fourth quarter before the Bengals tacked on another field goal and a late touchdown on a 25-yard catch from Gio Bernard.
鈥淚 wish I would鈥檝e played better. I think that this was 鈥� the weather was a defensive heaven,鈥� Roethlisberger said. 鈥淭hey love the elements like that. It was very tough sledding for us on offense. For us, especially going against such a tough defense, it wasn鈥檛 easy to make plays.鈥澨�
Roethlisberger finished 19 for 37 with 259 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. With Antonio Brown constantly swarmed in double coverage, Coates led all receivers with 97 receiving yards on two catches, while James and Grimble added a combined five receptions for 55 yards. Williams rushed for 94 yards on 32 attempts and caught four receptions for 38 yards.听
鈥淚 think guys rose to the occasion,鈥� Roethlisberger said. 鈥淚 think guys accepted the challenge that someone needed to step up. I think we proved today that it蘑菇视频 not all about (Brown). We have other guys that can make plays.鈥澨�
Andy Dalton was 31 of 56 for 366 yards and one score. All-Pro receiver A.J. Green was limited to two catches for 38 yards a week after putting up a league-best 180 yards receiving. The Bengals were held to 4 for 16 on third down attempts while in several third and long situations.
鈥淚t made a difference in the football game,鈥� Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 have enough positives on first down, and we didn鈥檛 convert on third downs. We converted one or two, but not enough of them that mattered.鈥澨�
The Steelers will hit the road next for a Week 3 matchup on Sept. 25 against the Eagles in Philadelphia.听
TURNING POINT听
Roethlisberger蘑菇视频 9-yard touchdown to James with 6:16 left in the third quarter came at just the right time for the Steelers offense. After amounting just 17 yards on its first possession of the second half, Roethlisberger went 4 for 5 on the 91-yard drive, with competitions to James, Coates, Grimble and Fitzgerald Toussaint. He extended the drive with a 6-yard find to Grimble on third-and-1, and connected with Coates for the duo蘑菇视频 second completion of the afternoon for 40-plus yards. On the score, Roethlisberger placed the ball where only his 6-foot-7 tight end could reach it, and James met the ball at its highest point to come down with his second career touchdown reception.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Ross Cockrell, CB听
A week after Green torched New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis for a league-best 180 yards and two touchdowns in Week 1, how an unproven Steelers secondary would go about stopping him was a major concern. Cockrell played a large role in answering those questions while defending Green蘑菇视频 side of the field for a majority of the game. He said Keith Butler used an array of zone and man schemes for matchup purposes, which enabled him to find success against the All-Pro receiver. 鈥淲e threw the bus at them,鈥� Cockrell said. 鈥淲e played zone, man, blitz. We threw it all at them to try to limit his touches, because the more he touches the ball, the more chances he has to change the game.鈥� Typically, veteran cornerback Will Gay is the one to shadow the opposing team蘑菇视频 best receiver like he did in Week 1 against DeSean Jackson. With Cokcrell the better matchup from a size standpoint, he was given the assignment this week. 鈥淚 talked to [Gay] early in the week,鈥� Cockrell said. 鈥淗e told me that he wanted me to do it.鈥� Green was targeted eight times, and his longest reception was a 21-yard gain that came in the first half. Cockrell ended with three tackles and two pass breakups in his ninth career start. 鈥淗e蘑菇视频 growing in all areas,鈥� Tomlin said. 鈥淗e蘑菇视频 got the things that excite you: He蘑菇视频 tough, he蘑菇视频 smart and he蘑菇视频 got a good above-the-neck game. He蘑菇视频 a worker. All of those things kind of make it a very natural thing, this progression he蘑菇视频 going through.鈥澨�
NOTEWORTHY听
- With 132 all-purpose yards, Williams became the 13th active NFL player with at least 10,000 yards from scrimmage. Williams was asked what the metric meant to him. 鈥淯h, nothing,鈥� he said. Williams, 33, was in a two-back system alongside Jonathan Stewart when he played for the Panthers, which has aided the veteran running back蘑菇视频 career longevity. Now, he蘑菇视频 in a two-back system with Le鈥橵eon Bell, but is proving he can still carry the load by himself when called upon. 鈥淭he thing I wanted to do once I got here is, when Le鈥橵eon came off the field it didn鈥檛 take any pressure off the defense, and that蘑菇视频 been my main goal since I鈥檝e got here.鈥� A Bengals defense that finished seventh in the NFL in stopping the run a year ago felt that pressure throughout the afternoon.
- The impact of the Steelers tight ends was obviously most noticeable on the scoreboard with touchdown receptions from Grimble and James, but the play of David Johnson shouldn鈥檛 go unnoticed. The veteran tight end may not have scored like his counterparts, but he was highly productive as a blocker in the run game. In addition to checking in during two- and three-tight end sets, Johnson also lined up as a lead blocker at times to aid in Williams鈥� 94 rushing yards. 鈥淚 thought it was going to be tough, but it蘑菇视频 AFC North ball, so you鈥檝e just got to give it all you got and let the running back make plays,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淭hat蘑菇视频 just how it is.鈥澨�
- Former Pitt star receiver Tyler Boyd returned to Heinz Field on Sunday, and the Bengals rookie looked right at home. He finished second on his team with six receptions for 78 yards and a 13 yards-per-catch average. 鈥淔elt really good, but it felt really different because I was the visiting guy this time,鈥� Boyd said. 鈥淎t the end of the day, I play for the Bengals, and I wanted to perform for my team.鈥�
- Brown, with four receptions for 39 yards, surpassed John Stallworth for the third-most receptions in Steelers history (538). It was a relatively quiet day for the Steelers receiver, coming off a 126 yard performance in Week 1. Brown was targeted 11 times, but Bengals cornerbacks Dre Kirkpatrick and Adam Jones pestered him defensively.听
- Roethlisberger improved his career touchdown total to 278, which broke a tie with Vinny Testeverde for the 12th all-time in NFL history. The win gives him a 115-56 record for his career.听
- Mike Tomlin is now 14-5 as a head coach against the Bengals.听
BY THE NUMBERS
2: Roethlisberger needs two more wins to tie Terry Bradshaw for the most wins as a starting quarterback in franchise history (107).听
2.6: The Bengals averaged just 2.6 yards per carry (46 yards on 18 attempts).
4: This season marks the fourth time in Tomlin蘑菇视频 tenure that the Steelers have started out 2-0.听
12: The Steelers have a plus-12 win differential in home openers at Heinz Field. The win on Sunday improved their record to 14-2.听
146: Will Gay extended his consecutive regular-season games played streak to 146, which ranks first among all NFL cornerbacks.听
QUOTEWORTHY
鈥溾�楾he tight ends: How great were they today?鈥� 鈥� Roethlisberger, when asked to talk about some of other the offensive players that stood out to him.
UP NEXT
Week 3: at Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) at Lincoln Financial Field; Sunday, 4:25 p.m., CBS.
The Steelers hosted Philadelphia in the second week of the preseason. What蘑菇视频 changed for the Eagles in the past five weeks? Plenty. Most notably, the Eagles traded Sam Bradford to Minnesota and have turned the starting QB reins over to rookie Carson Wentz, the second overall pick in this year蘑菇视频 draft. In Week 1, Wentz responded like a franchise quarterback, completing 22 of 37 passes for 278 yards and a pair of TDs against Cleveland. The strength of the Eagles, however, lies in coordinator Jim Schwartz蘑菇视频 defense. Philadelphia held Cleveland to 288 total yards and 20:40 in time of possession, while recording three sacks, an interception and a forced fumble. Of course, that is the Browns. The Eagles face Chicago at Soldier Field on Monday night. Though the Steelers have won two of the past three games against the Eagles, they have not won in Philadelphia since 1965, one of just two Pittsburgh victories that season. The Steelers are 27-41-3 all-time with a dismal 8-26-2 road record against the Eagles.