Some of the patterns that first emerged in Washington, D.C., last Monday night again were apparent on the floor of Heinz Field during the victory over the Bengals, but an interesting facet of this Steelers team so far is that it’s finding ways to accomplish the winning of games in a manner that wouldn’t have seemed predictable the day after the preseason ended.
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Elements both in and out of their control were on full display on Sunday, ranging from harsh weather, more-than-questionable officiating and maddening play on offense, but a handful of positions did their job well enough for the Bengals to have a chance for a win against the rival Steelers on Sunday.
They also don’t have a loss, a trade-off they can live with while their defensive front four searches for consistency. Roethlisberger had one more touchdown pass in the fourth quarter: a 4-yard toss to DeAngelo Williams. Whatever it was, the expected duel between superstar wide receivers Antonio Brown and A.J. Green never materialized.
Additionally, after Green turned “Revis Island” into “Fantasy Island” last week with 12 catches for 180 yards while frequently being single-covered by Darrelle Revis, the Steelers made sure there were two defenders near the Bengals’ Pro Bowl receiver all afternoon.
“Felt really good, but it felt different since I was the visiting guy this time”, said Boyd, a Bengals second-round draft pick earlier this year. The win wasn’t pretty for the offense but it was lovely watching Williams’ performance. “Look at what we were able to do during the course of the game”.
“We were in a coverage that was like 2 by 2”, said Cockrell. “A.J”.
Instead, he chose to stay home and play for Pitt, where he set numerous records and left his mark as one of the best pass-catchers to ever suit up for the Panthers. “We would rather win the game, but considering the situation we were in, I think we did that as well as we could”.
Their inability to run was most glaring in the third quarter, when they drove for a first-and-goal at the 1-yard line.
“It just hasn’t happened the way we wanted it for two weeks, and it will be better this week”. Linebacker Arthur Moats tallied the team’s only sack. The Steelers forced Dalton to make quick decisions, and he chose to play it safe rather than force something to Green.
“I knew it was close”, Dalton said.
The tight end’s knee landed right by the back line, and the officials ruled it was an incomplete pass.
Why not throw the challenge flag, Coach?
DeAngelo Williams churned out 94 yards on a career-high 32 carries and added a 4-yard touchdown grab and Roethlisberger found tight ends Xavier Grimble – the rookie’s first National Football League catch – and Jesse James for scoring passes as well.
Williams accumulated 94 rushing yards on 32 carries and also caught four passes for 38 yards including the fourth-quarter touchdown that sealed the victory.
Only the Vikings and Los Angeles Rams are averaging fewer yards per carry than the Bengals’ 2.8 yards per attempt.
“Obviously, when it’s raining, it is different than when it’s not raining”, said Dalton, who was 31 of 54 for 366 yards and one touchdown, much of that coming as Cincinnati went heavily to the passing game as it tried to come back. His third-down throw to Tevin Coleman was broken up, but the ball bounced high in the air and Hardy caught it in the end zone to put Atlanta (1-1) up 28-21.
“Everybody on the field thought the opposite, and it didn’t work that way”, Lewis said. Cinncinnati converted a first down on only 4 of 16 opportunities.
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Xavier Grimble, a tight end who sparingly played for the USC Trojans, came up huge for the Steelers.
