Losing to the Steelers always stings Cincinnati players and fans a little more than dropping games to other teams, but the Bengals built themselves some cushion with their 10-2 start. And there were a few positive things to take away from a mostly negative day.
RUSH OFFENSE
The Good: Giovani Bernard had 40 yards on just six carries for a 6.7-yard average.
The Bad: The 64 yards the Bengals gained on the ground were a season low, although they came on just 16 rushes (4.0 average) with the team playing from behind the entire afternoon.
Key play: Bernard's 18-yard gain on third-and-2 early in the fourth quarter got the Bengals in field position to keep the score close at 26-13.
Grade: C-
PASS OFFENSE
The Good: Backup quarterback AJ McCarron's 66-yard touchdown pass to A.J. Green on his seventh snap proved the moment wasn't too big for him and infused some life into the Bengals sideline and the rest of the stadium.
The Bad: McCarron floated a pass to Mohamed Sanu on the second snap of the second half, and Pittsburgh cornerback William Gay jumped it for an easy pick-6 to put the Bengals in a 23-7 hole.
Key play: The interception Dalton threw to Pittsburgh defensive end Stephon Tuitt at the Steelers 7-yard lline not only ended the Bengals opening drive, it resulted in the fractured thumb.
Grade: C-
RUSH DEFENSE
The Good: The Bengals held the Steelers to 3.0-yards per rush.
The Bad: After giving up four rushing touchdowns in the first 12 games, the Bengals surrendered two 1-yard scoring runs by Pittsburgh running back DeAngelo Williams.
Key Play: Williams' second touchdown was the dagger, giving the Steelers a 20-point lead with 3:49 remaining.
Grade: B
PASS DEFENSE
The good: Reggie Nelson raised his NFL-leading interception total to eight with his sixth pick of Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in the last seven games.
The bad: Roethlisberger was 9 of 10 for 109 yards on third down.
Key play: With the Bengals trailing 23-10 midway through the third quarter, Geno Atkins appeared to have a sack only to see Roethlisberger flip the ball behind him to tight end Heath Miller for a 2-yard gain instead of a 9-yard loss.
Grade: C-
SPECIAL TEAMS
The Good: Punter Kevin Huber and the coverage team held the dangerous Antonio Brown to 3 yards on two punt returns.
The Bad: C.J. Uzomah's illegal block on the Bengals' first kick return negated a 37-yard effort by Brandon Tate.
Key Play: Mike Nugent's season-long 54-yard field goal try fell just short, giving the Steelers a short field that they converted into a Chris Boswell 47-yard field goal for a 13-0 lead.
Grade: B
COACHING
The Good: To have McCarron throw on his first two snaps after replacing Dalton – and five of the first seven – sent a message that the coaches had full confidence in him and they weren't going to play scared.
The Bad: This quote from Marvin Lewis would have been better directed toward his players before the game than the media afterward, "You don't play football with your doggone mouth. You've got to play with your pads."
Key Play: Facing fourth-and-goal at the Pittsburgh 9 after McCarron took a 4-yard sack with 10 minutes to go, Lewis elected to kick the field to cut the deficit to 26-13 instead of going for a touchdown that, had the Bengals also made a 2-point conversion, could have made it a one-possession game.
Grade: C
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