The Bengals got the offensive start they wanted. Unfortunately for Cincinnati, so did Russell Wilson and the Steelers. In the NFL’s highest-scoring game of the season, Pittsburgh outlasted the Bengals, 44-38, on Sunday.
Cincinnati (4-8) is now 1-7 in one-score games, and 0-7 against teams with .500-or-better records. In those seven games against non-losing teams, the Bengals lead the NFL with 30.3 points per contest. However, they’ve allowed 36.4 points in those games, the lowest average in the league. And in a game on Sunday that produced 895 yards of total offense and 10 touchdowns, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said only one statistic mattered.
“It was 3-1 in the turnover battle and when it’s a one-score game, it’s a simple as that,” said Taylor, whose team fell to 4-8. “We’ve got to create more ways to create turnovers. I know guys were trying; I know guys were trying to rip it out, but we’ve got to find a way to do it.”
Two of those turnovers came in the fourth quarter, Donte Jackson’s interception – thanks to an assist from Cam Heyward — and a strip sack by Nate Herbig. Rookie linebacker Payton Wilson recovered the fumble and returned it 21 yards for a touchdown and extend the Steelers’ lead to 41-24 with 11 minutes remaining.
But Joe Burrow refused to quit. He rallied the Bengals on two long drives, throwing fourth-quarter touchdown passes to Tee Higgins and Andrei Iosivas. Cincinnati was in position to close the gap, trailing by six points, when Cam’s brother, Connor Heyward, recovered an onside kick to ice the win.
“That’s a good defense,” said Burrow, who finished 28 of 38 for 309 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. “They have really good players. They’re going to make plays. They play their scheme to their strengths and they know the strengths of their players. Their strength is up front, so they try to make it tough on you to get it out quickly and try to make you hold onto it and let those guys get after you.”
One of those guys was T.J. Watt, who had two of Pittsburgh’s four sacks. Payton Wilson, a third-round selection out of North Carolina, recovered two fumbles. But it was another former North Carolina State player named Wilson who willed the Steelers (9-3) to victory.
Russell Wilson passed for the second-best total of his career, 414 yards, with one interception and touchdowns to Pat Freiermuth, Calvin Austin and George Pickens. Wilson, whose career high is 452 with the Seahawks on Oct. 29, 2017, is now 5-1 as the Steelers’ starter since replacing Justin Fields. The younger quarterback wasn’t dormant on the sideline, though. Fields entered in the final two minutes to convert a third-and-4 with a 7-yard run around right end to seal the win.
Pittsburgh gained a game on second-place Baltimore (8-5) in the AFC North. The Steelers now get an opportunity to avenge their Week 12 loss to Cleveland, hosting the Browns on Sunday. Pittsburgh needs to travel to Philadelphia the following week. Cincinnati is at Dallas on Monday night.
Historic victory: With a ninth win, the Steelers clinched a 21st consecutive season without a losing record, tying the 1965-85 Dallas Cowboys for the longest stretch of seasons without a losing record all-time. Mike Tomlin extended his NFL record to 18 straight non-losing seasons to begin a career.
For more information on the Steelers and Bengals, visit the Pittsburgh and Cincinnati team pages at ProFootballPost.com.
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