By Mike DeFabo, Paul Dehner Jr. and Zach Powell

On a gusty Sunday afternoon in Pittsburgh, the Steelers avenged their earlier loss this season to the Cincinnati Bengals to earn a 34-12 win behind a big offensive second half.

The Steelers and Bengals got off to hot starts, each scoring a touchdown on their first drive. From there, though, the game turned into a defensive slugfest where Pittsburgh clung to a one-point lead until just before halftime, when Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers found tight end Darnell Washington for a 31-yard reception to set up a Chris Boswell field goal, giving the Steelers a 10-6 cushion.

The Steelers found their offensive groove from there, without Rodgers, who left Sunday’s game with a wrist injury and did not return. Pittsburgh backup Mason Rudolph checked in and tossed a touchdown to Kenneth Gainwell. And although Steelers safety Jalen Ramsey was ejected for throwing a punch at Bengals receiver Ja’Marr Chase, Pittsburgh’s defense, which forced two turnovers, put the finishing touches on the game as James Pierre recovered a fumble and returned it for a score.

Rodgers’ injury looms large

While the Steelers took care of business against the Bengals, the story of the game was Aaron Rodgers’ injury.

During the Steelers’ final possession of the first half, Rodgers was sandwiched by Bengals defensive linemen Kris Jenkins Jr. and T.J. Slaton Jr. after he threw the ball out of bounds on second-and-goal. It appeared Rodgers put his left hand down to break his fall. When Rodgers got up, he grimaced in pain as he held his left wrist. He finished the series with an incompletion on third down and then ran into the locker room early.

After halftime, Rodgers did not come out of the locker room with the rest of the team and was replaced by backup QB Mason Rudolph. The Steelers classified Rodgers’ injury as a left-hand injury.

Throughout his career, Rudolph has been a steady game manager. As he showed in the second half, if he’s supported by a reliable running game and solid defense, he can do enough to keep an offense afloat. It’s unclear at this time how severe Rodgers’ injury may be and if it could put his status in question next week in Chicago. — Mike DeFabo, Steelers beat writer

With loss, Bengals can begin looking to future

It’s mock draft season in Cincinnati. The Bengals couldn’t afford another loss, and have the math still make sense whenever Joe Burrow returns from his toe injury. The Bengals fall to 3-7, have lost seven of the last eight games and there’s essentially no shot they catch the Steelers or Batlimore Ravens to steal the middling AFC North title. The eye test told you they wouldn’t be able to weeks ago, but the Bengals held on to the math if they swept the Steelers.

Now, the discussion turns to whether it will even be worth it for Burrow to return in a few weeks and how they rebuild for 2026. This division was available to take this year, but the Bengals couldn’t put together a team even capable of taking out Mason Rudolph, Kenneth Gainwell and a bare bones secondary on one of the worst Steelers teams in recent seasons. — Paul Dehner Jr., Bengals beat writer

Defense rises to the occasion

When Joe Flacco orchestrated a nine-play, 71-yard touchdown drive on the Bengals’ opening possession, it appeared the Steelers could be in for another shootout like the one they played a few weeks back in Cincinnati. However, the defense settled in and stood tall from there, keeping the Bengals out of the end zone for the rest of the game.

The Steelers — who were missing starting corner Darius Slay and moved Jalen Ramsey to safety full-time — did a much better job of handling the two-headed monster of Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. After allowing Chase to rack up a franchise record 16 receptions in the first meeting, the Steelers limited the star receiver to three receptions for 30 yards. Higgins also made only three catches for 63 yards and a touchdown.

In the most important moment, the defense came up with the biggest play of the game. Late in the third quarter, with the Bengals driving for the possible go-ahead touchdown, Flacco threw the ball right into the hands of safety Kyle Dugger. He returned in 74 yards for a touchdown to give the Steelers a 20-9 lead.

After some shaky performances of late, the Steelers’ defense has found some stability. Any ceiling for this team hinges upon the defense playing at a high level. That’s especially true if Rodgers is forced to miss time with an injury. — DeFabo

Flacco comes back to reality

Joe Flacco enjoyed one of the best four-game stretches of his career upon arriving in Cincinnati. He had his best career marks in a season (min. 4 games) with one team for interception percentage, touchdown percentage and quarterback rating. There was a thought he had to come back to Earth at some point. He picked an inopportune time to crash. Flacco threw a debilitating pick-6 at the end of the third quarter and struggled to consistently move the ball for the first time since joining the team. Pittsburgh dedicated its plan to keeping Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins from beating them, which they executed, but Flacco couldn’t find enough consistency with the third options. — Dehner Jr.

Bengals defense shows up but offense sputters

The Bengals’ defense finally put together a solid half. They forced three consecutive punts for the first time since Week 4 and held the Steelers to just 10 points before the break, tied for the fewest allowed in the first half this season. Then Cincinnati’s offense sputtered for the first time since Flacco arrived. They had multiple opportunities to put together a first-half lead, but struggled to stay ahead of the sticks with inefficient early-down plays.

The one thing that can’t happen is the Bengals waste opportunities when the defense plays well, and they did just that in the first half Sunday. It could have been a much different style of game, forcing Mason Rudolph to throw the ball more and come from behind after the break, but the game played directly into Pittsburgh’s hands. — Dehner Jr.