There was a questionable fumble call that hurt the Bengals, but the Steelers will gladly take the Week 2 win.
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Ben Roethlisberger’s performance wasn’t up to his usual standards, but it still wasn’t bad. With less than two minutes to play, the Bengals had the ball in Steelers’ territory.
Pittsburgh controlled the tempo throughout and after Roethlisberger shook off a so-so first half in which he tossed two interceptions and the Steelers pulled away. On each, the former Auburn standout was covered by a former Alabama standout, Cincinnati cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick.
GLENDALE, Ariz. – Carson Palmer threw for 308 yards and three touchdowns and the Arizona Cardinals intercepted Jameis Winston four times in a rout of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. The teams played in a preseason game last month, though most of Pittsburgh’s regulars sat out.
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Sammie Coates catches a pass for a 44-yard gain during the first half of an National Football League game against the Cincinnati Bengals in Pittsburgh on Sunday, Sept. 18, 2016. Rushing-wise, Williams rushed 32 times for 94 yards.
The Steelers are headed headlong into one of those proverbial good problems to have in sports. As for Antonio Brown, he had a rare poor game (which you can credit to a very strong Cincinnati secondary) with a crucial drop. Olsen finished with five catches for 122 yards. Not the best day for the wide receivers. Green hardly appears ready to return to work and Grimble’s play – he added a hard shoestring catch in the third quarter to help set up James’ touchdown – gives Roethlisberger yet another option. This one was a 53-yard pass that set up Roethlisberger’s 9-yard touchdown pass to Jesse James on the next play for a 17-6 lead at 6:16. The only area that needs improvement is in the blocking for the running backs. Dalton hit him with the pass but safety Rob Golden shoved Uzomah out of bounds before he could get two feet down. Stephon Tuitt led the defensive line in tackles with three and a single assisted tackle.
The Patriots nearly blew a 31-3 lead but the comeback by Miami (0-2) fell short despite 389 yards through the air by Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
“Sometimes calls don’t go your way”, said Ryan Shazier. Timmons led the entire defense in tackles (6 and 1 assisted) and was followed closely by Shazier (5 tackles and 5 assisted). Green on Sunday, but Tyler Boyd? The cornerback is still learning.
Andy Dalton passed for 366 yards and a touchdown but needed 31 completions to reach that total, working nearly exclusively on dump offs to running backs and tight ends while Pittsburgh clamped down on star wide receiver A.J. Green, who finished with just two receptions for 38 yards.
Whoops. Pittsburgh Steelers running back DeAngelo Williams’ cell phone went off during his own press conference. His Clairton Bears captured the PIAA Class A state championship all four years in high school en route to a state-record 66-game winning streak. On Sunday the Steelers trotted out two tight ends who can be weapons in the red zone and are showcasing three rookies on defense. The defense held, forcing Cincinnati to kick a field goal. And the inclement rain didn’t help. Baltimore was a point from trailing by three touchdowns in the opening quarter before blocking an extra point and returning it for two points and igniting the comeback. Greg Warren didn’t botch a snap, and Jordan Berry averaged 42.3 yards on eight punts. Bengals Quarterback Andy Dalton says that: “that’s just how their defense plays”.
So the Bengals didn’t get a chance to score the tying TD and 2-point conversion in the last two minutes of their 24-16 loss to the Steelers.
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But how will it all play out this time, provided DeAngelo Williams keeps going out there and performing at a top level. Sunday’s game wasn’t as chippy as some expected.
