Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger battled a bad stomach bug Sunday night, but at the end of the night, it was the Cincinnati Bengals who left Heinz Filed sick.
Roethlisberger threw for 317 yards and threw a pair of touchdown passes in leading the Steelers to a 27-17 victory over the visiting Bengals.
Between a big day for Roethlisberger and some big plays made by the Steelers defense, the Steelers captured the AFC North crown and will host the Baltimore Ravens next Saturday night in the Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs.
“I got an excited group in there,” said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. “I’m just really happy for them and proud of their effort. It’s never an easy journey, but this group grew together and remained resilient throughout.”
The Steelers jumped ahead early with their biggest special teams play of the season when Antonio Brown returned a punt 71 yards for a touchdown to give the Steelers a 7-0 lead.
That didn’t last though as the Bengals quickly jumped on top.
Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton made the first of a pair of horrible throws in the first half when he overthrew A.J. Green by a mile and hit Steelers cornerback Brice McCain in stride for a Steelers interception.
The Steelers couldn’t do much with it though and they had to settle for a poor 35-yard punt from Brad Wing. Seven plays later Dalton made a play by scrambling and flipping the ball to Giovani Bernard, who took it 17-yards to tie the game at seven.
Mike Nugent gave the Bengals a 10-7 lead with a 39-yard field goal, which came after a low shotgun snap from Maurkice Pouncey that Cincy recovered.
Playing sick, Roethlisberger led the team on a nine-play drive that resulted with Shaun Suisham tying the game up at 10 with a 29-yard field goal.
“I just came down with it today,” said Roethlisberger. “We won the game though so I feel better now. We will enjoy this one for about 12 hours then we have to get back to work.”
On the Bengals next drive, Dalton provided the Steelers with another gift, overthrowing a wide open Green again, which resulted in the ball being tipped in the air and intercepted by McCain, his second of the game.
“No balls over our head,” said McCain. “Nothing over our head and make the tackle. That’s our goal. If teams want to dink and dunk us all down the field they aren’t going to beat us. When they do try and get greedy we will pick them off. We did that today. I’m happy being a big part of the win.”
Two plays later Roethlisberger hit Martavis Bryant with a 21-yard touchdown pass to put the Steelers up 17-13. After the Steelers defense forced a Bengals punt on the ensuing drive, Roethlisberger led the team on a successful two-minute drill that concluded with another Suisham field goal and a 20-10 halftime lead.
“It was a screen play,” said Bryant. “Heath (Miller) and Markus (Wheaton) did a great job blocking and I just hit the hole.”
The teams exchanged stalled drives in the third quarter, but the Steelers suffered a potential big blow when running back Le’Veon Bell was hit low in the knee by Cincinnati safety Reggie Nelson after a 19-yard reception. Bell left the game with a hyperextended right knee and did not return.
Bell, who was voted the Steelers’ Most Valuable Player by his teammates last week, jogged off the field but was in obvious pain as he was examined on the sideline. He eventually was taken to the locker room and ruled out for the remainder of the evening.
The second-year pro caught six passes for 80 yards before the injury and gained another 20 yards on the ground on eight carries.
The Bengals pulled within 20-17 with a five-yard touchdown pass from Dalton to Jermaine Gresham early in the fourth quarter and had the chance to either tie the game or take the lead late in the fourth quarter. But Antwan Blake stripped Green of the ball after a big completion and recovered the fumble to end the Bengals best threat.
“I just wanted to make the tackle initially,” said Blake. “On film he has been known to carry the ball loosely. I just saw an opportunity to make a play.”
Three plays later Roethlisberger connected with Brown on a 63-yard touchdown pass to all but clinch the division title for the Steelers.
Brown finished with another big game, hauling in seven receptions for 128 yards and the big score.
As for the defense, in addition to forcing three huge turnovers, they also sacked Dalton three times on the evening. Linebacker Lawrence Timmons led the team with 11 tackles.
“It was just another win,” said defensive end Cameron Heyward, who recorded one of the Steelers three sacks. “The statement game for this defense will be when we have confetti raining down on us. But we are surely enjoying the ride.”
Photo Credit: Pittsburgh Steelers
