Banged-up Steelers still stifle Bengals at home

After previously breaking in a backup plan on defense because of injuries, the Pittsburgh Steelers resorted to using one on offense in the second half Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Plan B worked out on both sides of the ball for the Steelers in a 34-12 victory that exacted a measure of revenge against the division rival that defeated them a month ago.

Change-of-pace running back Kenny Gainwell, pressed into starting duty in the third quarter because of a Jaylen Warren ankle injury, caught two touchdown passes, one from starter Aaron Rodgers and one from backup Mason Rudolph.

Rudolph directed the offense to a field goal and touchdown on the Steelers’ only two possessions after intermission, playing the second half after Rodgers exited with a left wrist injury.

On defense, two players who weren’t in the starting lineup a month ago when these teams met at Paycor Stadium had touchdown returns. Safety Kyle Dugger returned an interception 74 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter, and cornerback James Pierre punctuated the win with a 34-yard fumble return to the end zone in the fourth quarter.

“That’s life in the big dance,” coach Mike Tomlin said after a win that improved the Steelers’ record to 6-4 and kept them in first place in the AFC North. “You’re going to be challenged in a lot of ways as individuals, as collectives or collectives within the larger collective. It’s our job to adapt and improvise and do what’s required to win.”

Gainwell had a 14-yard touchdown catch from Rodgers in the first quarter and a 5-yard TD reception from Rudolph in the fourth. He finished with 105 yards from scrimmage, including 81 yards on seven receptions.

Rudolph, seeing his first extended playing time of the season, completed 12 of 16 passes for 127 yards and, like Rodgers, did not commit a turnover.

“There is no angst when somebody goes down,” said Warren, who led the Steelers with 62 yards rushing, “because we have ballers everywhere.”

Rodgers departed with the Steelers holding a 10-6 lead. He completed 9 of 15 attempts for 116 yards. He was hit twice late in the second quarter on plays that drew roughing-the-passer penalties. He also was hit on a pass that went out of the end zone with 17 seconds left in the half, and that was when the injury apparently transpired.

Tomlin said Rodgers will have his wrist “examined” Monday.

The Steelers had 188 yards in the first half — 33 fewer than they totaled the previous week in a 25-10 loss at the Los Angeles Chargers. They had 156 in the second half despite possessing the ball just twice until a last-second kneeldown.

Rudolph directed a 15-play, 61-yard drive that ended with Chris Boswell’s 30-yard field goal. With the Steelers leading by eight points in the fourth quarter, Rudolph conducted a 12-play, 65-yard march that included the Steelers converting a third-and-11 when Gainwell took a screen pass 20 yards.

Gainwell also went 28 yards on another screen that began with the Steelers facing a first-and-23. The Steelers were 5 of 6 on third down with Rudolph in the game after going 2 of 7 in such situations in the first half.

“He’s always delivered when called upon in the past,” Tomlin said of Rudolph. “That’s why we value him. His performance was consistent with what he’s done in the past for us. Not that we take it for granted. We don’t. We appreciate it.”

Dugger, starting for the third time at strong safety after being acquired from New England in the wake of DeShon Elliott’s knee injury, changed the tone of the game with 37 seconds left in the third quarter. With the Bengals trailing 13-9, Joe Flacco had the offense positioned at the Steelers 35. His pass across the middle went directly to Dugger, whose touchdown return provided the Steelers with a two-score cushion.

“Score,” Dugger said when asked for his thoughts on the pick. “That’s really it. Somebody gives you a gift like that, you gotta maximize it for the defense and for the team.”

It was the first of two touchdowns for a defense that outside linebacker T.J. Watt said last week can’t “live and die” by turnovers. The second came moments after Gainwell’s second touchdown gave the Steelers a 27-12 lead with 3:40 to play.

Slot corner Brandin Echols, who had exited twice because of injuries, jolted the ball from tight end Noah Fant. Pierre, starting because Darius Slay was in concussion protocol, scooped the loose ball and returned it 34 yards to establish the final score.

A month after the Steelers gave up 470 yards to the Bengals, they limited Cincinnati to 297. Ja’Marr Chase had three catches for 30 yards after amassing 16 receptions, 161 yards and a touchdown in the first meeting.

“It was a step in the right direction,” defensive tackle Cameron Heyward said. “We were competitive in all fields.”

The backup plan on defense was put to the test early in the fourth quarter when free safety Jalen Ramsey was ejected for throwing a punch at Chase following an apparent spitting incident. The Bengals, though, mustered a field goal the rest of the way.

The next test for the Steelers comes at 7-3 Chicago, which sits atop the NFC North.

“It’s perspective,” Tomlin said. “It feels good right now, but it’s about what happens moving forward. It always is. That’s just the nature of this thing. It’s sweet today. Tomorrow, we go back to work because there’s big business waiting on us next week.”