The Bengals (3-7) were nearing the red zone, trailing by just four points at the time, when T.J. Watt hit Flacco as he attempted to connect with Tee Higgins on a crossing route. The pass was way off target, and Dugger made the interception, returning it 74 yards for a touchdown to extend Pittsburgh’s lead to 20-9.
It just wasn’t Flacco’s day, but the defense falling apart in the second half didn’t help.
Cincinnati’s defense had showed improvement in the first half, after a slow start the first drive, but the Steelers lost two key pieces to their offense in the third quarter and still managed to score points on each of their last three possessions.
Pittsburgh quarterback Aaron Rodgers left the game at halftime with a hand injury and running back Jaylen Warren exited with a leg injury early in the third quarter. Backup quarterback Mason Rudolph finished the game and did enough to lead his team to victory with help from a standout performance from Pittsburgh’s defense.
After the pick-6, the Bengals settled for a 48-yard field goal from Evan McPherson the next drive to cut the deficit to 20-12 in the fourth quarter, but Rudolph led the Steelers back down the field for a 5-yard touchdown pass to backup running back Kenneth Gainwell.
That sealed it, but the Steelers added a second defensive touchdown to put a stamp on the game when Jason Pierre recovered Noah Fant’s fumble after a 5-yard catch and returned it 34 yards to the end zone.
Pittsburgh also was playing the final 13 minutes without safety Jalen Ramsey, who was ejected for throwing a punch at Ja’Marr Chase.
Rudolph completed 12 of 16 passes for 127 yards and one touchdown in one half, while Flacco managed just 199 yards and one touchdown on 23-of-40 passing in a full game.
Flacco has played the last two games on a sprained AC joint but couldn’t replicate a miraculous 470-yard performance in a loss to the Bears two weeks ago before a bye.
The Bengals got off to a good start, responding to the Steelers’ opening-drive touchdown with one of their own, as Flacco connected with Higgins to reach the end zone with a 28-yard pass.
However, a roughing the snapper penalty as McPherson hit the PAT put Cincinnati on the 1-yard line for a two-point conversion attempt that failed on a Chase Brown run, and that left Cincinnati trailing the rest of the way.
Pittsburgh managed the only other points in the half on a Chris Boswell field goal to put the Steelers up 10-6 at the break. Cincinnati got a field goal on the opening drive of the second half to make it a one-point game again, but the wheels came off after that.
The Bengals now return home to host the New England Patriots on Nov. 23.
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