The highs and lows of the Steelers regular season Week 7 game vs. the Cincinnati Bengals.
4:25 p.m. ET - Kickoff
4:34 p.m. ET - What went right: The Steelers took the opening kickoff and went 75 yards in nine plays, with
the touchdown coming on a 7-yard pass to Antonio Brown. But before that had a chance to happen, the Steelers got some nice contributions from JuJu Smith-Schuster and Rosie Nix. On the first third down of the drive – a third-and-5 from the Pittsburgh 30-yard line, Ben Roethlisberger completed a short pass to Le'Veon Bell, who ended up gaining 23 yards thanks to persistent downfield blocking by Smith-Schuster on cornerback Darqueze Dennard. Then it was Nix who dug safety George Iloka out of the hole that Bell ran through for 11 yards for a first-and-goal at the 9-yard line.
4:47 p.m. ET - What went right: On the Bengals' opening possession, they moved the ball to a third-and-9 from the Cincinnati 48-yard line. Andy Dalton dumped off a short pass to tight end Tyler Kroft, who was trying to escape the tackle of Mike Hilton when Ryan Shazier came up and stopped him cold after a 6-yard gain. The Bengals punted.
4:57 p.m. ET - What went wrong: With 10 seconds left in the first quarter, the Bengals tied the game, 7-7, via an eight-play, 53-yard drive that ended with a 6-yard pass from Andy Dalton to Brandon LaFell as he was cutting across the middle of the end zone. To get there, the Bengals used a 25-yard run by Joe Mixon on a second-and-10, and then a 16-yard pass to A.J. Green that converted a third-and-5.
4:59 p.m. ET - End of 1st Quarter: Steelers 7, Bengals 7
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5:05 p.m. ET - What went right:** Following the Bengals touchdown that tied the game, 7-7, the Steelers needed just 2:18 to march 75 yards to re-take the lead on a 31-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger to JuJu Smith-Schuster. On the drive, Roethlisberger also completed a 10-yard pass to Eli Rogers and a 28-yard pass to Vance McDonald to finish 3-for-3 for 69 yards and a touchdown on the drive that ended with the Steelers owning a 14-7 lead with 12:52 remaining in the second quarter.
5:21 p.m. ET - What went wrong: Instead of rock-'em, sock-'em, the game developed into a shootout by the middle of the second period. The Bengals answered the Steelers' touchdown that had given them a 14-7 lead with a touchdown drive of their own that covered 75 yards in 12 plays and ended with a 1-yard pass to Tyler Kroft on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line. Other big plays on the drive were a 21-yard completion to Alex Erickson on a third-and-8, and then a 17-yard run by Joe Mixon down to the Steelers 10-yard line.
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5:35 p.m. ET - What went right:** On the one hand, it was a 10-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a 22-yard field goal by Chris Boswell that gave the Steelers a 17-14 lead with 1:50 remaining in the first half. On the other hand, it represented a failed red zone possession. The big play on the possession was a short pass to Le'Veon Bell that turned into a 42-yard gain after he juked linebacker Vincent Rey in the open field, ran past safety Shawn Williams and stiff-armed cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick to the ground. The Steelers had a first-and-goal at the 6-yard line, but then Bell lost 1 yard, a pass to Martavis Bryant gained 3 yards, and then a third down pass for Antonio Brown was incomplete.
5:51 p.m. ET - What went right: The Bengals offense went three-and-out on their possession that followed Chris Boswell's first field goal, and the Steelers responded with a seven-play, 71-yard drive that ended with another red zone field goal, this one from 24 yards that gave the Steelers a 20-14 halftime lead. Ben Roethlisberger completed 4-of-6 for 33 yards on the drive.
5:52 p.m. ET - Halftime: Steelers 20, Bengals 14
6:19 p.m. ET - What went right: The Steelers extended their lead to 23-14 with 7:23 remaining in the third period, but it came via another field goal following a failed red zone possession. Le'Veon Bell carried eight times for 35 yards on the drive, and Ben Roethlisberger completed 1-of-2 for 19 yards. But on third-and-1 from the Bengals 19-yard line, Bell was tackled behind the line for a 4-yard loss by Michael Johnson. Boswell then came on to kick the 41-yard field goal.
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6:29 p.m. ET - What went right:** Joe Haden's first interception as a member of the Steelers came midway through the third quarter with the Steelers holding a 23-14 lead. On a second down play, Andy Dalton threw to A.J. Green, but the ball was bobbled and Haden somehow came up with it before it hit the ground at the Cincinnati 40-yard line. Three plays later, Boswell kicked his fourth field goal, from 49 yards, to extend the lead to 26-14.
6:35 p.m. ET - What went right: A second takeaway, also an interception, came on the Bengals' ensuing possession, this one also off a tipped ball, and this one by Will Gay. It came on a third-and-4 from the Cincinnati 44-yard line, and Andy Dalton's pass was intended for Josh Malone.
6:42 p.m. ET - End of 3rd Quarter: Steelers 26, Bengals 14
6:45 p.m. ET - What went wrong: The Steelers were faced with a fourth-and-1 from the Cincinnati 38-yard line. Ben Roethlisberger handed the ball to Terrell Watson, who originally was ruled to have gained the yardage necessary for a first down. But Marvin Lewis challenged the spot of the ball, and his challenge was upheld, and Cincinnati took over on downs at their own 38-yard line with 14:57 remaining in the fourth quarter with the Steelers holding a 26-14 lead.
6:50 p.m. ET - What went right: When the Steelers failed on that fourth-and-1 attempt on the first play of the fourth quarter, their defense bailed them out. On third down, T.J. Watt sacked Andy Dalton to force the Bengals to punt.
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7:01 p.m. ET - What went right:** The Bengals had a first-and-10 at their 45-yard line with 11:07 remaining in the fourth quarter, and they were looking to cut into their 26-14 deficit. On first down, Bud Dupree blew past running back Joe Mixon and got his hands on Andy Dalton before Tyson Alualu cleaned up the sack for an 11-yard loss. Then on third-and-21, Dupree and Alualu ran a textbook T-E twist, and Dupree sprinted past guard Trey Hopkins to sack Dalton for a 13-yard loss.
7:17 p.m. ET - What went right: Fourth-and-7 from the Pittsburgh 40-yard line with 6:53 remaining in the game. The Steelers line up in punt formation, but the Bengals leave gunner Darrius Heyward-Bey uncovered. Reacting to the situation, Robert Golden took a direct snap and lofted a pass that Heyward-Bey caught for a 44-yard gain to the Bengals 16-yard line. Three plays after that Chris Boswell kicked a 25-yard field goal, and the Steelers lead was 29-14 with 5:14 left in the game.
7:29 p.m. ET - Final Score: Steelers 29, Bengals 14
