Quick Yinzing: Steelers sweep Bengals, just barely, 16-10

“Quick Yinzing” is Steel City Underground’s post-game feature where there is no research, no stats, all “Renegade” and reactions in recapping the Pittsburgh Steelers’ game performance.

On a day where things weren’t going my direction, things looked like they certainly weren’t going to go in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ way, either. In enemy territory at Paul Brown Stadium, the Steelers got off to another rough start and the Cincinnati Bengals certainly did not play their AFC North rivals like they were carrying a 0-10 record this season.

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In a low-scoring affair, the reliable leg of Chris Boswell came into play in a big way on Sunday. With Devlin Hodges sent in at quarterback in the third quarter after Mason Rudolph continued to struggle, the offense got a big boost from a long catch-and-run from James Washington for a touchdown. With Devin Bush forcing a fumble that Minkah Fitzpatrick recovered, the momentum turned in Pittsburgh’s favor but the win was secured when Bud Dupree beat his man off the edge and earned a strip-sack on Ryan Finley that Dupree fell on at the 21-yard line.

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The Steelers relied heavily on Benny Snell, Kerrith Whyte, and the run game while Rudolph tried to get the passing game to open up. Snell put up nearly 100 yards of rushing on the day. If it weren’t for the spark that Hodges gave the offense, however, it looked highly unlikely that the Steelers would earn a win in this game. That’s really saying a lot considering just how poorly the Bengals have played this season. With Hodges in at quarterback, suddenly receivers were able to grab the ball and make plays.

If you looked at this game in two halves, it was clear that there were issues on both sides of the ball in the first two quarters. The Steelers couldn’t sustain drives and they were allowing the Bengals offense to move the ball. In fact, in the third quarter, the Bengals were able to put together a nine-play drive that took them close enough to tie the game, 10-10, with a Randy Bullock field goal.

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The biggest takeaway from this game is this: The Steelers are a long way from being a playoff team IF – and this if is major – they can not find a way to be consistent on both sides of the ball. Period. They sneaked out a win, 16-10, against a team they should have been able to completely dominate, at least with their defense. They grab the sweep of the Bengals in the division and will face a Cleveland Browns team next weekend at home (Heinz Field) with plenty to work on this upcoming week in practice.


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