Breaking down the good, the bad, and the ugly in the Steelers big win over the Bengals
The Good, Bad, and Ugly column is a breakdown of several segments of each game into each of a grading category of “good”, “bad”, or “ugly”. To get to the nitty gritty, Joe Kuzma dissects three moments from each game which could be best classified as each of those labels.
Good – 12:01 2nd Quarter: 2-and-14 CIN 40
The Steelers offense opened the third quarter and needed a statement drive clinching to a one-score 10-3 lead.
With pressure breathing down his neck and the pocket collapsing, Steelers QB Mason Rudolph scrambled to safety and extended the play, doing his best Ben Roethlisberger imitation as he threw one of his few long passes downfield for newly acquired tight end Nick Vannett.
Vannett hauls in the catch by his fingertips, gaining 17 yards and a new set of downs.
The momentum would carry into the following two plays, where RB Jaylen Samuels would line up in the wildcat formation, taking a direct snap and making a short toss to James Conner 21 yards, then taking another direct snap on the next play which would see Samuels sprint across the goal line to help put the Steelers up 17-3.
Bad – 9:27 1st Quarter: 2-and-10 PIT 15
The Steelers offense took the field for the first time in the game in poor field position to start. Could Mason Rudolph, in his second start, move the chains?
That was the question on everyone’s minds as two 0-3 teams clashed. One thing the Steelers did not want to do on Monday was fall behind to a woeful Bengals team and that’s precisely what happened two plays into their first series, when WR Diontae Johnson fumbled the ball and it was recovered by Cincinnati.
The two plays consumed all of 46 seconds after the Steelers defense, who had been getting worn out by lopsided time of possession in their previous three games, had to re-enter the field after already being out there for nearly five full minutes to begin the contest.
The D would do their job, however, forcing a 3-and-out, which led to the Bengals kicking a 28-yard field goal and going ahead early, by three points.
Incredibly, those would be the only points scored by Cincinnati in the entire game.
Ugly – 1:34 1st Quarter: 1-and-10 PIT 35
This can only be classified as ugly because I don’t feel it was a penalty.
You know the one: Johnny Holton sprints downfield for a long Mason Rudolph pass attempt near the end of the first quarter… and then a flag is thrown.
Fans in attendance went bonkers, thinking the penalty was in favor of Pittsburgh. However, offensive pass interference was called against Holton, for what appeared to very minimal contact that did not affect the play.
Mike Tomlin challenged the call… and lost. Again.
Tomlin hasn’t won a challenge since the 2017 season, and, in my opinion, unfairly loses this one too for what everyone at home could see was a ticky tack call that would cost the Steelers then yards.
