Mike Tomlin\u2019s not around anymore to make any colorful references to \u201cthe stench\u201d a team \u201cwears\u201d after a particularly poor performance. Under a new coach, that Pittsburgh Steelers offense turned to a similarly smelly metaphor in following up a lethargic loss last week.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know the media day-and-age that we\u2019re in, there\u2019s overreactions when we put up three points and look like dog you-know-what,\u201d quarterback Aaron Rodgers said.<\/p>\n
\u201c(But) we had a nice game today.\u201d<\/p>\n
Be it offensive-minded coach Mike McCarthy\u2019s adjustments, a little home cooking or changes on the offensive line, the Steelers offense Sunday was almost unrecognizable compared to the unit that sputtered seven days earlier.<\/p>\n
Aaron Rodgers threw touchdown passes to three receivers, and the Steelers beat the Cincinnati Bengals, 30-27, in an early-season AFC North showdown at Acrisure Stadium.<\/p>\n
A week after managing just three points and 235 yards while punting eight times in a loss at the New England Patriots, the Steelers on Sunday against the previously unbeaten Bengals totaled 411 yards, almost doubled their previous point production for the season and punted just once.<\/p>\n
The Steelers entered as a home underdog to a team that had scored 53 points over the first two weeks of the season, a harrowing reality for a team that had managed just 16 offensive points in splitting its first two games.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe felt that we needed to score points to win this game,\u201d said McCarthy, the veteran coach\/play-caller. \u201cI wrote down \u201831\u2019 in my notes going in as far as a (points) target.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just knew that I felt that we needed to score points because I think play-calling a lot of times is mindset.\u201d<\/p>\n
With McCarthy calling the shots, the offense looked crisp right from the start Sunday.<\/p>\n
By definition, it played its best first quarter of this decade.<\/p>\n
Touchdown catches by Roman Wilson and Ben Skowronek on the Steelers\u2019 first two drives gave the Steelers a 14-point first quarter for the first time since Oct. 13, 2019.<\/p>\n
Counting another touchdown throw to DK Metcalf, Rodgers finished 19 for 34 for 292 yards and an interception \u2014 the result of Wilson bobbling the ball and tipping it into the air \u2014 for a 101.6 passer rating.<\/p>\n
After a week of fan chatter about whether the 42-year-old Rodgers was cooked \u2014 or perhaps that he just would never survive behind an offensive line that had him under siege in New England \u2014 the Steelers in the first half alone Sunday had more yards (243-235) and third-down conversions (four to two) than they had all game Sept. 20. They had more points by then (17) than they had produced all season, too.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes,\u201d left tackle Troy Fautanu said, \u201cyou\u2019ve got to get punched in the face in order to learn.\u201d<\/p>\n
Two Chris Boswell field goals in the fourth quarter turned a three-point deficit into a win that was capped by a Derrick Harmon strip-sack of Joe Burrow and subsequent Sebastian Joseph-Day fumble recovery near midfield with 44 seconds to play.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was a big-time rush, sack and (forced) fumble,\u201d McCarthy said. \u201cYou\u2019ll be watching that on the highlights for quite some time.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Steelers did not punt until the fourth quarter Sunday, though one Cameron Johnston boot in the third quarter was negated by a roughing-the-punter penalty. That extended a drive that was capped by a Metcalf 6-yard touchdown catch that gave the Steelers a brief 24-20 lead.<\/p>\n
That the Steelers offense was humming was an absolute necessity, though, on a day when Cincinnati was moving the ball with almost as much ease. The Bengals had only two punts.<\/p>\n
Burrow\u2019s third touchdown pass of the day \u2014 to tight end Mike Gesicki \u2014 gave the Bengals a 27-24 lead 87 seconds into the fourth quarter, setting the stage for the 26th fourth-quarter comeback of Rodgers\u2019 22-year career.<\/p>\n
It didn\u2019t look that way to start, though, when the Steelers managed just 11 yards on the ensuing drive. But the Bengals\u2019 Ke\u2019Shaun Williams muffed Johnston\u2019s ensuing punt, and Skowronek recovered at the Cincinnati 14-yard line.<\/p>\n
Minutes later, Boswell\u2019s 36-yard field goal tied the score 27-27.<\/p>\n
A Steelers defense that had been largely gashed all afternoon for 352 yards by Burrow and the Bengals, however, responded with its only three-and-out.<\/p>\n
Rodgers then directed an odd drive that, despite gaining 88 yards, produced only three points off Boswell\u2019s toe that would prove to be the difference in the game. The longest play of the possession was a bruising 47-yard sideline catch and run by 300-plus pound tight end Darnell Washington.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew big plays were going to be a big part of this game,\u201d McCarthy said. \u201cAnd we did at the end.\u201d<\/p>\n
Still, Burrow set up shop at his own 30 with 2:30 left. Completions of 17 and 13 yards to star receiver Ja\u2019Marr Chase \u2014 who had a first-quarter touchdown \u2014 got the Bengals to the Steelers\u2019 38, setting up Harmon\u2019s heroics on the next snap.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeeing that right tackle (Amarius Mims) with his foot all the way back, I just knew it was going to be a kick-step,\u201d Harmon said, \u201cand I just went.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was the only Steelers sack of the game.<\/p>\n
The Bengals had two sacks of Rodgers \u2014 both by All-Pro tackle Dexter Lawrence \u2014 but it was the Steelers\u2019 offensive line that appeared to benefit from changes in the starting lineup at right tackle and right guard.<\/p>\n
Rookie first-round pick Max Iheanachor made his first career start in place of right tackle Dylan Cook, and veteran free-agent signee Brock Hoffman replaced Spencer Anderson at right guard.<\/p>\n
Neither was, necessarily, perfect. But their efforts help contribute to a day in which the offense topped 400 yards for only the second time over their past 27 games and led the Steelers to a big division victory. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe locked in this week, and we knew we had to have it,\u201d Skowronek said. \u201cWe knew we could do it. We\u2019ve been doing it, you know, since (training camp in) Latrobe. So I\u2019m proud of the group for the way we responded after those first two weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Mike Tomlin\u2019s not around anymore to make any colorful references to \u201cthe stench\u201d a team \u201cwears\u201d after a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":295447,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[73,75,74],"class_list":["post-295446","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pittsburgh","tag-pittsburgh","tag-pittsburgh-headlines","tag-pittsburgh-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/295446","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=295446"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/295446\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/295447"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=295446"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=295446"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=295446"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}