By Ray Porter Jr.
PITTSBURGH, PA–In the 1947 Classic movie ‘Miracle on 34th Street’, the idea that when it comes to Santa Claus, faith is more fulfilling than skepticism. Isn’t the world a better place, the show seems to say, for people believing in goodness and generosity?
On December 23, 2023, there was a Miracle at Acrisure Stadium as the Pittsburgh Steelers, losers of three straight and on the verge of being mathematically eliminated from the NFL playoffs, pulled off an amazing 34-11 victory over the 8-6 Cincinnati Bengals in front of stadium crowd of 66,646 and a National NBC Audience.
“Exciting win. Appreciative of the effort and focus. It was a total team effort in all three phases,” said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. “Made the necessary plays, splash plays, played together and hard. Happy for the guys in the locker room. Going to have a Merry Christmas.”
3rd String QB Mason Rudolph, who was named a starter, pulled off a miraculous performance of his own as he led the Steelers on four scoring drives in the first half, including an 86-yard TD pass to WR George Pickens. WR Calvin Austin III and RB Najee Harris would score on TD runs, and K Chris Boswell added a 50-yard FG to close out the first half. Rudolph would connect with Pickens again in the third quarter, this time from 66 yards, and after Boswell’s 2nd FG, the Steelers would finish the game with 30 or more points for the first time since their 37-30 loss to the Bengals in 2022.
“He was Mason. We talked about it early in the week,” Tomlin said about his starting QB. “He’s got a belief in himself. He’s aggressive in his play style, and I thought he did a really good job not displaying a lot of rust for a guy who hadn’t played obviously a lot.”
Rudolph would finish with 290 yards (17/27), 2 TDs; Pickens 195 yards and 2 TDs on four receptions; and Harris rushed for 78 yards, 19 carries, and a TD. As a team, the Steelers finished with 113 rushing yards.
When asked if Rudolph would start in the Steelers next game, Tomlin said he did not have that answer at this time.
When Rudolph was asked about starting next week, he replied, “You’re asking the wrong person as that’s out of my hands. I’ll just get my marching orders and go.”
And on defense, the Steelers kept the pressure on Bengals QB Jake Browning (38/42, 335 yards, TD), sacking him three times (LBs TJ Watt, Alex Highsmith and Myles Jack-in his first game since 2022) and also intercepting him 3 times (Highsmith, CB Patrick Peterson and S Eric Rowe) they also held Veteran Joe Mixon and the Bengals running game to 59 total yards. Browning’s TD was an 80-yarder to WR Tee Higgins (5 rec, 140 yards) and K Evan McPherson added a 35-yard FG in the second half.
At 8-7 the Steelers remain very much alive in the NFL playoffs and must continue their winning ways when they travel to Seattle to take on the Seahawks. They will also need more miracles in the form of help from several teams winning and losing in the next 2 weeks.
“We’re not painting with a broad brush. Won a game. Thankful for it. Appreciate the efforts of the guys,” said Tomlin.
Notes: Watt now has an NFL league-leading 17 sacks…Pickens eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his career. He currently has 1,009 receiving yards.
Injuries: LB Elandon Roberts left the game with a pectoral injury and did not return.
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