Wilson accomplished 29 of 38 passes, throwing three landing passes and posting a passer ranking of 126.4. Wilson averaged 10.9 yards per go try.
“I assumed we had an amazing day,” stated Wilson. “All of it begins with the offensive line. I assumed they did an amazing job. The a number of issues they do up entrance and totally different appears to be like they provide, I assumed the o-line dealt with it in a good way. I obtained to plenty of checks, plenty of audibles within the run sport and the go sport, attending to stuff that was favorable for us. I simply assume guys did an incredible job making performs.”
Whereas no Steelers participant topped 100 receiving yards within the sport, 10 totally different gamers caught passes.
The Steelers made life depressing for Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow, sacking him 4 occasions, together with two by T.J. Watt, intercepting him as soon as and forcing him to fumble twice, each of which had been recovered by the Steelers.
The win improves the Steelers’ file to 9-3, tying them with Dallas for probably the most consecutive non-losing seasons in NFL historical past with 21. It additionally retains them in sole possession of first place within the AFC North.
“It is good to go on the highway and get an AFC North victory,” stated Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. “It wasn’t simple, notably if you spot a gaggle like that seven (factors). It had big-time urgency for lots of causes. To come back in right here, of their place, in opposition to the standard of workforce that they’ve, smile within the face of (adversity), I am unable to say sufficient concerning the efforts of the fellows.”
The sport see-sawed forwards and backwards all through the primary half after the Steelers compelled the Bengals off the sphere on a three-and-out on the sport’s opening possession.
Cincinnati (4-8) scored a defensive landing when cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt intercepted Wilson at midfield and returned the ball 51 yards for a rating.
Taylor-Britt appeared to throw Wilson’s meant goal, George Pickens, to the bottom by his helmet as Wilson launched the ball, knocking him to the bottom earlier than simply selecting off the ball.
Needing a solution, the Steelers went to Pickens within the pink zone on their ensuing possession as he scored on a 17-yard display screen go after Najee had three huge catches to get them into scoring vary and tie the rating at 7-7.
“We needed to return out and assault as a result of we knew what they might give us,” Tomlin stated of the Cincinnati offense. “These divisional matchups, it isn’t checkers, it is chess.”
The Bengals used their operating sport to attain on their subsequent possession, as Chase Brown broke free for a 40-yard run to the 1, the place he was tackled by Joey Porter Jr. However he scored on the following play to place the Bengals again on prime, 14-7.
The Steelers tied it at 14-14 on their subsequent possession, as Wilson related with Calvin Austin III for a 23-yard landing go on the primary play of the second quarter.
The Bengals once more answered, this time with Burrow throwing a 4-yard landing go to Ja’Marr Chase after escaping Watt within the pocket and with Keeanu Benton wrapped round his waist as he launched the ball.
Down 21-14, the Steelers once more wanted a solution and obtained it rapidly in 5 performs as they used two defensive penalties by the Bengals to assist arrange a 10-yard landing run by Harris to tie the sport at 21.
Watt sacked Burrow on Cincinnati’s subsequent possession with the Bengals already in Pittsburgh territory, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Preston Smith. It was Watt’s league-leading fifth compelled fumble of the season.
The Steelers gained 29 yards on a display screen to Jaylen Warren on their first play from scrimmage, however stalled on the Cincinnati 32, settling for a 50-yard Chris Boswell discipline purpose and a 24-21 lead with 3:31 remaining within the half.
The Steelers compelled the Bengals to punt after one other three-and-out and Wilson obtained them to the 16, the place Boswell added a 34-yard discipline purpose and a 27-21 halftime lead.
The Steelers took the opening possession of the second half and seemed to be in place to attain once more, however Boswell’s 42-yard discipline purpose try was deflected by Joseph Ossai, who got here up the center, ending the risk.
The Bengals drove to the Pittsburgh 11, however Watt sacked Burrow on third down, forcing a 38-yard Evan McPherson discipline purpose that reduce the Steelers’ result in 27-24 with slightly below 4 minutes remaining within the third quarter.
Watt’s sack moved him previous Jared Allen into third place for the participant with probably the most sacks within the first eight seasons of his profession with 106. Solely Reggie White and DeMarcus Ware have extra of their first eight seasons.
The Steelers, nonetheless, answered rapidly once more, with Wilson directing an 80-yard scoring drive capped off by a 25-yard landing go to Freiermuth that put them forward 34-24 simply earlier than the top of the third quarter.
Burrow once more had the Bengals on the transfer when catastrophe struck. Heyward tipped his go, which then tipped off the fingers of huge receiver Tee Higgins and into the ready arms of cornerback Donte Jackson, who returned the ball 11 yards to the Pittsburgh 47. It was Jackson’s team-high and career-best fifth interception of the season.
The Steelers failed to show the turnover into factors and had been compelled to punt for the primary time within the sport, giving the ball again to Cincinnati with slightly below 13 minutes remaining at their very own 11.
On third down, Nick Herbig obtained to Burrow from behind as he was winding as much as throw, forcing a fumble that was scooped by rookie linebacker Payton Wilson and returned 21 yards for his first profession landing and a 41-24 Pittsburgh lead.
Burrow threw a 1-yard landing go to Higgins with 8:34 remaining within the sport to chop the result in 41-31.
However on third-and-9 on the Pittsburgh 42, Wilson hit Van Jefferson on a slant for a 41-yard achieve to the Cincinnati 15. That arrange one other Boswell discipline purpose whereas additionally forcing the Bengals to make use of all of their timeouts, because the Steelers took a 44-31 lead with slightly below 4 minutes remaining within the sport.
The Bengals added a Burrow landing go to Andre Iosivas with 2:39 remaining within the sport to chop the rating to 44-38, however Connor Heyward recovered an onside kick and the Steelers ran out the clock.
Harris completed with over 100 yards of whole offense, catching six passes for 68 yards and dashing 15 occasions for 72 yards.
“We wanted all 44 of these factors, did not we?” Tomlin stated. “While you’re taking part in in opposition to Joe Burrow, chances are high that you’ll have to attain some factors.