Steelers’ big 4th quarter tightens AFC North
Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green is tackled by Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor during the first half Sunday in Cincinnati. Green finished with 224 receiving yards.
Associated Press Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell runs into the end zone on a 10-yard touchdown reception against Cincinnati during the second half Sunday.
CINCINNATI – Their backs against the playoff wall, the Steelers needed big performances out of their offense and defense Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium against the AFC North-leading Cincinnati Bengals.
They got exactly that.
Ben Roethlisberger threw three touchdown passes, Le’Veon Bell scored three times and went over 200 total yards for the third consecutive game, and Pittsburgh’s defense made just enough big plays to help the Steelers to a 42-21 victory, tightening the AFC North standings.
“It’s just AFC North football,” said Roethlisberger, who threw for 350 yards. “It was a lot of fun out there. It was a hard-fought game – far from easy. We expect that from those guys. We’ll see them again in a couple of weeks.”
Make that three, as the Steelers and Bengals will close the regular season at Heinz Field.
The Steelers (8-5) brought the Bengals (8-4-1) back to the pack.
With a division win that improves the Steelers to 3-2 in the AFC North, Pittsburgh moves ahead of the Ravens (8-5) in an important tiebreaker. Baltimore has three division losses, two to Cincinnati and one to Pittsburgh.
With Bell rushing for 185 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries and catching six passes for 50 yards and another score, the Steelers rolled up 543 yards. Bell joined Walter Payton (1977) as the only running backs in NFL history to gain 200 or more yards in three consecutive games.
The defense, meanwhile, overcame allowing a career-high 224 yards on 11 receptions to Cincinnati wide receiver A.J. Green by recovering a pair of fumbles, including a critical one early in the fourth quarter by linebacker Arthur Moats that set up the game-winning touchdown.
After Green hauled in an 81-yard touchdown pass from Andy Dalton down the middle of the field to put the Bengals ahead 21-17 on the final play of the third quarter, the Steelers answered with a 44-yard field goal by Shaun Suisam that was set up by a 52-yard run by Bell.
Then, on second-and-7 from the Cincinnati 29-yard line, Dalton attempted to run a read-option play with rookie running back Jeremy Hill. Dalton had burned the Steelers for a 20-yard touchdown run – the longest scoring run by a QB in Cincinnati history – on a similar play in the second quarter. This time, Moats was ready for it.
He crashed into the backfield, and when Hill knocked the ball out of Dalton’s hands, Moats, who starting in place of injured James Harrison, was there to jump on it.
“It looked like it was just a bad exchange,” said Moats. “From there it was just a dogfight. It looked like he double-clutched it. Then, when it hit the ground, we were all just going for it.”
Moats came up with the football at the 24, and four plays later Bell scored on a 13-yard run, breaking two tackles along the way. The Steelers went for a two-point conversion, and when Roethlisberger connected with tight end Heath Miller in the back of the end zone, the Steelers led 28-21.
“Getting that turnover late in the game was huge,” said Bell. “We were able to capitalize when needed.”
The Steelers forced a punt on the Bengals’ next possession that was downed at the Pittsburgh 6. Leading by just a touchdown, the Steelers took a shot. Roethlisberger faked a handoff to Bell and threw a bomb down the sideline to rookie wide receiver Martavis Bryant, who hauled in the pass at midfield and went untouched into the end zone for the second-longest scoring play in team history. The only one longer was a 95-yard catch by Mike Wallace in Arizona in 2011.
“We just were not going to live in our fears today,” said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. “We needed to be aggressive and create some splash (plays). It worked out for us.”
Bell sealed the win with his final touchdown, a 22-yard run with just over five minutes remaining.
Though the Steelers gave up two more passing plays to Green of more than 40 yards – their 13th of the season – they did enough to win and turn a 14-10 halftime deficit into a 21-point victory.
“I don’t care about style points,” said Tomlin. “We’re just trying to do what’s necessary to get out of these stadiums with wins.”
Odds and end zones
Cornerback Ike Taylor (shoulder and knee) was pulled from the game because of injury after the touchdown catch by Green. To that point, Taylor had been shadowing Green. … Antonio Brown had nine catches for 117 yards, giving him 105 receptions on the season. He has caught 100 or more passes in each of the past two seasons, becoming the first Pittsburgh player to do so. … Bryant caught four passes for 109 yards. … Moats had two sacks and Cam Heyward one. … Roethlisberger was not sacked. … The Steelers eight or more wins in 11 consecutive seasons. Only New England (14) currently has more. … Roethlisberger is 15-6 against the Bengals, including 9-2 in Cincinnati.