5 things we learned in Steelers' win over Bengals
Five things we learned from Steelers 16, Bengals 10:
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1. No Conner, no worries
Using a rotation that featured all four running backs at various stages of the game, the Steelers rushed for a season-high 160 yards against the Bengals, who also happen to have the NFL’s worst run defense.
The Steelers had a 38 to 27 run-pass ratio, and their attempts were the most of the season. Benny Snell was the workhorse in the fourth quarter when the Steelers wore down the Bengals defense en route to two field goals from Chris Boswell that pushed the Steelers ahead for good. Snell rushed for 63 of his game-high 98 yards in the final 15 minutes.
The performance showed the Steelers can succeed when James Conner is not in the lineup. Conner missed his third game this season because of a shoulder injury, and the Steelers are 3-0 in those games. Last year, the Steelers were 1-2 when Conner sat out with injuries.
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2. Lining up
As evidenced by the success in the running game, the offensive line didn’t have any drop-off with B.J. Finney starting at center in place of Maurkice Pouncey, who served the first of his two-game suspension.
Although pass protection was spotty at times — Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges were sacked a combined three times and Rudolph was pressured into an intentional grounding penalty — the ability to open holes for the backs was a positive.
Here’s another: among the 10 penalties called against the Steelers, none was for holding or a false start. Contrast that to the previous game in Cleveland when Alejandro Villaneuva was flagged twice for holding and Matt Feiler committed a false start.
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3. Catching on
Three members of the season-opening receiving corps were nowhere to be found Sunday. JuJu Smith-Schuster was out with a concussion, Ryan Switzer was on injured reserve and Donte Moncrief was with the Carolina Panthers.
With Deon Cain making his NFL debut, Tevin Jones playing in his second game and Diontae Johnson returning from a concussion, the Steelers needed James Washington to step up and serve as the type of receiver that warranted a second-round draft pick in 2018.
One catch — not to mention a dazzling stiff-arm — was enough to show Washington could handle the No. 1 role. The 79-yard score, which provided a 10-7 lead in the third quarter, was the longest play for the Steelers this season and longest in two years for Washington, who finished with a career-best 98 receiving yards.
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4. Defensive shift
The Steelers placed an emphasis on using the nickel defense against the Bengals, with slot corner Mike Hilton playing 55 of 58 snaps. Inside linebacker Mark Barron, like Hilton, was on the field for all but three plays.
Cameron Sutton played 18 snaps when the Steelers brought in a sixth defensive back in the dime package. The emphasis on defending the pass paid off as Ryan Finley completed just 12 of 26 attempts for 192 yards.
The player impacted the most by all of the subpackage usage was inside linebacker Vince Williams, who was on the field for just nine defensive plays. Rookie Devin Bush played 36 snaps, but he was on the field in the fourth quarter when he made the biggest defensive play of the game, forcing Tyler Boyd to fumble at the Steelers 6.
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5. Mr. Perfect
Chris Boswell continued his mind-boggling streak of never missing a kick against the Bengals when he made three field goals an an extra point. His best kick was a 47-yarder that put the Steelers ahead for good, 13-10, with 11:59 remaining.
Boswell has made all 29 of his regular-season field-goal attempts against Cincinnati, and he has made all 48 kicks he has attempted — field goals and extra points — in his career when facing the Bengals.
The other specialist also was an unsung hero in the Steelers’ win. In fact, Jordan Berry was the team’s most consistent weapon for much of the game. Berry punted seven times for a 42.6-yard net average, and he placed three of his punts inside the Bengals 20.
Berry set the tone on the first series when the offense went three-and-out, and he was called upon to punt from the Steelers 5. Berry boomed a 60-yarder that was not returned. His second punt pinned the Bengals at their 10.
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Joe Rutter is a TribLive reporter who has covered the Pittsburgh Steelers since the 2016 season. A graduate of Greensburg Salem High School and Point Park, he is in his fifth decade covering sports for the Trib. He can be reached at jrutter@triblive.com.
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