2022 Steelers Season Recall: Bengals get payback in second matchup of the season
Steel City Underground presents our 2022 Steelers Recall: a look back at Pittsburgh Steelers games and storylines from last season.
There were finally signs of life in Pittsburgh following their Week 9 bye week, in which they returned in Week 10 refreshed, rocking the New Orleans Saints 20-10 to improve to 3-6.
With T.J. Watt back in the lineup, the future was looking brighter, but a Week 11 rematch with the Cincinnati Bengals loomed large.
The Steelers had gone toe-to-toe with the defending AFC Champions at PayCor Stadium in Week 1, leaving Cincy with a 23-20 overtime victory that saw Watt land on IR and the team languish through a four-game losing streak after playing 100 defensive snaps.
The jury was out as to whether the Steelers could replicate their early season success again at Acrisure Stadium, and the game played like a back-and-forth shootout at times. The Bengals would draw first blood with a 45-yard Evan McPherson field goal, while the Steelers – still without Chris Boswell – would have to match firepower with kicker Matt Wright.
The game would retain the same cat-and-mouse pace throughout, with the Bengals scoring, then the Steelers tying the game again, until two scores within the two-minute mark of the first half would send Pittsburgh into halftime up 20-17.
Unfortunately, it would be the last lead for the Black and Gold, who made the 37-30 final score look closer when Najee Harris put the exclamation on a nine-play, 72-yard drive with 47 seconds remaining in regulation. After rushing for only 361 yards (3.3 YPA) and one touchdown in his first eight games, Harris had 189 rushing yards in two, with a 4.7 average, plus a pair of TDs.
For the fans who’d been waiting to see if the offense could be as dynamic as it was in Week 10, they got a mixed bag. Pittsburgh was able to put 20 points on the scoreboard in the first half for the first time this season. One touchdown was a deep throw from Kenny Pickett to George Pickens; another was a hurdle by Najee Harris into the end zone. Matthew Wright tacked on two field goals and two PATs.
The Steelers put up 212 yards of offense in the first half of the game. They gained 11 first downs and scored 20 points – where they had only scored more than 20 in an entire game all season. It looked as though they were well on their way to eclipsing their previous week’s season-high of 379 yards of total offense as well, but the second half offense reverted back into a pumpkin at midnight.
Pittsburgh would only gain six first downs and 139 yards of offense, 72 of those yards on the final “garbage time” drive of the game. They had gone from scoring on four of their five first half drives to punting on five of their eight second half drives, including a turnover on downs. Sadly, the Steelers actually ran more plays in the second half as well, with 35 plays to 33, but were unable to maintain their first half momentum.
There’s little doubt that T.J. Watt makes a difference for the Steelers defense. If he wasn’t pressuring Joe Burrow, it was Alex Highsmith and Cameron Heyward busting into Cincinnati’s offensive backfield. They weren’t alone, but they certainly played a key factor up front.
Watt grabbed an incredible interception at the line of scrimmage that even Burrow couldn’t believe. The Steelers offense couldn’t turn it into more than three points, though.
Although Levi Wallace grabbed his second interception in two weeks, the defensive backfield – including Minkah Fitzpatrick – did not play like this was a game in which the Steelers finally had a full compliment of healthy starters (though they did).
Tee Higgins, who was quiet in the first half, came to life in the second to wreak havoc against the Steelers secondary. Pittsburgh didn’t and the Bengals receiver caught 9-of-13 passes on which he was targeted for 148 yards.
The Steelers gave up a total of 408 yards to the Bengals, allowing 22 first downs: 18 of those off of Burrow’s arm. They would get scorched by the Bengals QB for 355 yards and four touchdowns, three of them coming from a backup running back!
The Steelers D allowed an eight-play, 93-yard drive which proved to be the major difference maker in the latter portion of the fourth quarter, and appeared to be out of answers for the Bengals offense, as they only sacked Burrow twice on the entire evening.
A bright spot was the progress of Steelers rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett, who posted his best half of football to date. Pickett took some big shots and made some smart decisions in this game while not turning the ball over. In the first half Pickett completed 14/19 passes for 141 yards and a touchdown, good for a 112.0 rating. His counterpart Joe Burrow was 14/20 for 194 and two touchdowns for a 113.3 rating.
He appeared to be comfortable and further ahead of the curve than some rookie passers tend to be. Pickett would finish the game 25/42 for 265 yards and an 85.9 rating, including some passes that were clear drops (George Pickens!)
However, this was the coming out party for Steelers second round draft pick George Pickens, who caught four passes and led the team with 83 receiving yards, and a touchdown.
It wouldn’t be enough to keep up with the division leading Bengals in the end, and the Steelers would drop to 3-7 on the season with seven more games left on the schedule. The question on everyone’s mind then was whether or not the Steelers win against the Saints was a fluke and could they compete with the AFC’s tougher teams?
Those questions would get answers next week when Pittsburgh travels to Indy to face the Colts on Monday Night Football.
