Photo: steelers.com
The Steelers didn’t just beat the Bengals on Sunday—they buried them. In a 34-12 rout at Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh delivered one of its most complete performances of the season, scoring in all three phases while overcoming the loss of Aaron Rodgers to a wrist injury.
Mason Rudolph stepped in and kept the offense moving, but it was the defense that slammed the door shut—scoring twice and forcing Joe Flacco into a pair of brutal turnovers.
The win moves the Steelers to 6-4 and keeps them atop the AFC North race, while the loss buries the Bengals into near season-ending territory with a playoff berth statistically improbable. But beyond the scoreboard, this one had plenty of unexpected twists. Here are five surprises from a game that flipped the script in Pittsburgh.
This was a true surprise for those in attendance at Acrisure Stadium. After leading two scoring drives early, Rodgers went into the locker room at halftime — and didn’t return.
For those at the game, the news was sudden and unexpected. The Bengals received the kickoff to start the third quarter, so it wasn’t until after the Steelers offense prepared to take the field nearly three minutes into the second half, that the scoreboard operator ran an in-game alert that Rodgers was questionable to return.
Rodgers exited the game with a wrist injury following a hit near the end of the half. The injury didn’t appear catastrophic, but it was enough to sideline him for the remainder of the game. He went to the locker room and would not return to the field.
Almost as quickly as the scoreboard notified the fans that Rodgers was out of the game the public announcer bellowed “Now at quarterback, number two, Mason Rudolph” to a resounding applause. What could’ve derailed Pittsburgh’s momentum instead became a turning point, as the team rallied behind Mason Rudolph and never looked back.
Thrown into the fire, Mason Rudolph delivered exactly what the Steelers needed: stability, efficiency, and zero turnovers. He matched Rodgers’ early production with a pair of scoring drives of his own and kept the offense on schedule.
Rudolph’s lone third quarter possession chewed 7:37 from the game clock, consuming 15 plays for 71 yards before the Steelers offense stalled on the Bengals 12-yard line and settled for a Chris Boswell field goal.
Rudolph’s next series was equally impressive, as the backup quarterback took the Bengals on a 12-play, 85-yard ride that ended in a Kenneth Gainwell touchdown. The score would firmly place the Steelers ahead 27-12.
While he didn’t light up the stat sheet, Rudolph’s command of the offense was a surprise in itself. He also ended the evening besting Rodgers’ numbers, as the backup completed more passes (12/16, 75% to 9/15, 60%), yards (127 to 116), and yards-per-attempt (7.9 to 7.7). Mason would finish the game with a 118.5 quarterback rating.
The Steelers’ defense finally looked dominant after getting flexed on in their first matchup against the Bengals.
Following a first half that had mixed results, the pressure finally got to Cincinnati QB Joe Flacco, who was picked off by S Kyle Dugger. Dugger returned the interception 73 yards for the first of two defensive touchdowns by the Steelers.
The second would come later in the game, following Rudolph’s touchdown pass to Gainwell. On the very first play following the offensive TD drive, James Pierre would recover a fumble forced by Brandin Echols, with the former returning the scooped ball 34 yards for the second Pittsburgh defensive touchdown of the afternoon.
It was a fitting vindication for a Steelers defense that was abused in Cincy earlier, and also had an axe to grind following a situation that unfolded earlier in the quarter…
Things got chippy in the fourth quarter as the Bengals took the field following Dugger’s pick-six. Flacco would operate out of the shotgun with the Bengals trailing 20-9. Facing a 3rd-and-1 situation, the Steelers stood up Bengals RB Kendall Milton for no gain and a fourth down situation, where Pittsburgh’s defense was clearly getting off of the field.
Instead, penalty flags started flying. First, it was offsetting unsportsmanlike conduct penalties to Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase and Steelers S Jalen Ramsey.
As the Bengals prepared to go for it on fourth down, a scrum ensued. What most cameras — and the officials — caught was Ramsey throwing a punch. It was his second unsportsmanlike foul, and he was disqualified from the game.
However, further postgame video evidence surfaced of Chase spitting on Ramsey first, with Ramsey retaliating with a punch.
Field-level view of the second altercation between Ja’Marr Chase and Jalen Ramsey. Chase said “I didn’t spit on nobody.”
The video clearly shows he did.#Bengals @FOX19 pic.twitter.com/ooGzInoPdS
— Austin Briski (@austin_briski) November 16, 2025
Chase avoided ejection, but didn’t avoid consequences for his actions as the league stepped in and suspended the Bengals star for one game without pay. The one-game suspension will cost Chase over a half-million dollars — his $448,333 game check plus a $58,824 active roster bonus.
This game had its share of eyebrow-raising calls, aside from missing Chase spit on Ramsey.
A questionable roughing the passer flag on T.J. Watt extended a Bengals drive that would’ve seen them punt. The result extended Cincinnati’s drive temporarily, which yielded field position in their favor following a punt five plays later.
A 30-yard Mason Rudolph pass to D.K. Metcalf on 3rd-and-7 was brought back on a ticky-tack offensive pass interference call as well, when Bengals CB D.J. Turner acted, then lobbied for a shove that was non-existent. The flag came out late as the game official was duped into penalizing the Steelers.
The mess from the officials saw Mike Tomlin animated on the sidelines, even giving referee Bill Vinovich a shoulder shrug that was returned by the latter, with no play clock extension and the Steelers being forced to burn a timeout in the second half.
The Ramsey ejection was the final nail in the coffin for Steelers fans, who had enough. After witnessing Chase run around the field and taunt Steelers defenders all afternoon — including holding Joey Porter Jr.’s facemask with two hands and no flag — the fanbase went ballistic with “ref you suck” chants and an audible loudness that caused the Bengals offense to be unable to communicate.
