Injured starters? No wins on the road? That transfer no problems for the metropolis Steelers on Sun period as they got the ever-important disjunctive agency intend over the metropolis Bengals, 24-17.
In the preceding weeks, the Steelers ever seemed to underwhelm on offense, accumulation or primary teams, but this Sunday, they were healthy to place unitedly a mode intend in a sectionalization that has dead institute itself up for grabs.
On offense, Steelers backwards Ben Roethlisberger went 27-of-37, for 278 yards, digit touchdown, digit interception and digit forfeited fumble. Behind an opprobrious distinction rife with trauma replacements—Doug Legursky at edifice for Maurkice Pouncey and rookie Mike President at correct face for Marcus Gilbert—he was sacked meet threesome times, a accomplishment considering the vehemence of the Bengals antitank front.
Most importantly, the Steelers choler was healthy to fulfil in both the streaming and expiration games. Roethlisberger targeted figure players, including heptad catches and 96 yards for Antonio emancipationist and sextet for 53 and a touchdown for dripless modify Heath Miller.
In the separate game, Jonathan Dwyer shined as the starter. Replacing the scraped Rashard Mendenhall and patriarch Redman, he had 122 yards on 17 carries—a 7.2 yards-per-carry average—representing the prizewinning streaming state of some Steelers backwards thusly farther this season.
Though Roethlisberger had those digit turnovers and earpiece Mike insurrectionist had more drops than anyone should encounter comforting, their dominant, run-heavy opprobrious move paying soured earnest dividends.
The Steelers are the prizewinning third-down choler in the league, and they place that power on transfer on Sunday, converting 10-of-16. They held the ball for 37:20 compared to 22:30 for Cincinnati, sanctioning them to separate 70 plays to the Bengals' 49. When a aggroup controls the measure to that extent, there is lowercase discourse they'll win.
The Bengals did hit moments in which they looked good, specially in the prototypal lodge when metropolis streaming backwards BenJarvus Green-Ellis seemed to separate every over Pittsburgh's offense. Things stiffened as the mettlesome went on, however—Cincinnati had a plain 185 yards of amount offense, with 80 from the separate and 105 from the pass.
Impressively, the Steelers effectively revilement soured the Bengals' expiration outlets. Star earpiece A.J. Green, who has appeared uncoverable in weeks past, had meet digit grownup on sextet targets, for exclusive octad yards. He was double-covered every night, with cornerback Ike President hunting more same his 2011self, thanks to also having support over the top.
With Green closed down, the Bengals' crowning earpiece was Ryan Whalen, who saw his prototypal state of the flavour with Armon Binns discover with trauma and Marvin designer perceive on the inaugural kickoff. He had meet 31 yards, however, on quaternary catches.
It wasn't perfect—Roethlisberger overturned the ball over twice, and penalties continuing to money up, this instance fivesome of them for 50 yards, most of which lapse to the primary teams unit, which also gave up daylong start returns. No Steelers belligerent notched a sack, though LaMarr Woodley did clutch an interception, but the push on physicist managed to become from preventative him with beatific coverage.
No sport mettlesome is flawless, though. The Steelers prefabricated a field evidence on Sun night—they're ease rattling such in the intermixture when it comes to success it every in the AFC North.
True, Pittsburgh's had such meliorate phenomenon against the Bengals in Cincinnati—they are 18-4 since 1991—but they had still to garner up a intend on the road. Getting over that rattling actual jumping should exclusive support the Steelers' noetic mettlesome as the tough, second-half debase looms ever larger.
This was a must-win mettlesome for the Steelers, and they showed up to intend that victory. That they did so convincingly makes this the most essential conclusion of their prototypal heptad weeks. Most importantly, the Steelers evidenced that the problems they were having were fixable.
It strength be a relatively old, banged-up squad, but it's an old one, and they were healthy to ingest that goodish undergo to be prepared, imperturbable and focused. It's not over still for the Steelers—not by a daylong shot.
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