Steelers fall hard to Bengals 41-10
By Ray Porter Jr- Urban Media Today
CINCINNATI, OH-According to National Football League (NFL) history, the last time the Pittsburgh Steelers were swept (beaten twice in an NFL season) by the Cincinnati Bengals were in 2009. 12 years later, it happened again as the Steelers were soundly defeated 41-10 by the Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium after losing to them 24-10 on September 26 at Heinz Field.
“Not a lot to say. Tip our caps to those guys. They played today and won and did the things that were required of a big game like this, and we didn’t to be quite honest with you.” Said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. “We didn’t play nearly well enough in any of the phases, and — significantly I thought — we got beat up-front on both sides of the ball, and they won the line of scrimmage. When you win the line of scrimmage the game has a chance to look like that. So, we’ve got a lot of work in front of us.”
The Steelers were outmatched, outmuscled, and outplayed by a motivated Bengals team that is out to prove to the NFL that times have changed for the better. They were indeed skilled in those three phases (offense, defense, and special teams) and gave the Steelers their worst defeat since a 42-7 beatdown in 1988.
Trai Turner, T.J. Watt, and Cameron Heyward spoke to the media following today’s game against the Bengals. @HeinzTweets pic.twitter.com/1WmLH12cXu
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) November 28, 2021
Bengals RB Joe Mixon did most of the damage as he rushed for 165 yards on 28 carries and scored 2 TDs. QB Joe Burrow was an excellent game manager as he passed for 190 (20/24) with a TD, and a rushing TD. His only mistake was an interception to Steelers S Minkah Fitzpatrick. WR Tee Higgins led all WRs with 114 yards on 6 receptions and a TD. On defense, the Bengals held the Steelers to 10 points and one TD. But they sacked Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger 5 times and intercepted him twice, one of them to former Steeler CB Mike Hilton who returned it 24 yards for a TD. Fellow CB Eli Apple had the other interception. It was Big Ben’s first interceptions since September.
Big Ben’s (24/41, 263 yards) lone TD pass was to rookie TD Pat Friermuth late in the 4th quarter. The only other points came from the foot of K Chris Boswell as he kicked a 40-yard FG in the first half. The running game was of no effect as rookie Najee Harris rushed for 23 yards (as a team, they rushed for 51 yards)
On defense, the Steelers struggles continued as they were only able to sack Burrow twice (even with the return of All-Pro LB TJ Watt) and they were unable to stop Mixon. Many feel like the Steelers are lacking fundamentals and effort. Whatever the reason, the Steelers are now 5-5-1 after a 5-3 start. If there is any motivation, they can look back to their 1-3 start earlier in the season, but with 6 games left, they need to show how urgent they are in recovering from this and saving their season. But to do so, it must begin next Sunday when they host the Baltimore Ravens at Heinz Field.
“When you win the line of scrimmage the game has a chance to look like that. So, we’ve got a lot of work in front of us.” Said Tomlin. “We make no excuses. We seek no comfort. It is what it is, man. We stunk it up today. We look at the tape, we make corrections, and we make necessary adjustments like we always do. How this game unfolded really has no bearing on the process for us in terms of transitioning from one week to another.”
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