In another tough matchup, the Steelers outlasted the Bengals 24-16! There was no body count, there were only a few questionable hits, no chaos on or off the field and in the end the Steelers produced a tough division win!
What makes the win very impressive is that the Steelers succeeded, despite an uneven performance by Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown. Neither were sharp, both made mistakes and at the end of the day, the Steelers still won the game fairly handily.
It was a vintage performance by the Steelers defense as they smothered the Bengals up front and kept their passing game in check. The stats don’t tell the story, as Andy Dalton threw for 300+ yards and was only sacked once. However, the pressure was solid all day as was the pass coverage.
A.J. Green was held to two catches for just 38 yards. The game plan was to not let Green beat them, and cornerback Ross Cockrell held him in check. He was given the task of following him on the field. He did a terrific job. Artie Burns made a great play saving a TD and Robert Golden made some solid plays.
The run defense has been very tough for two straight weeks. After allowing the Redskins just 55 rush yards, the Steelers held the Bengals to 46 yards on 18 attempts and allowed only one run longer than 5 yards. Ryan Shazier led the charge with 11 tackles and Jarvis Jones seemed to get stronger as the game moved on. The Steelers held the Bengals on first and goal to three points. James Harrison sealed the win with his forced fumble!
Ben Roethlisberger struggled in the elements but he also spread the ball around. Hitting NINE different receivers including touchdowns to Xavier Grimble, Jesse James and DeAngelo Williams. Williams was the star of the game, he carried the offense on his back, racking up 132 yards from scrimmage, including 94 extremely tough yards on 32 back breaking carries.
Special teams was a huge asset. Jordan Berry, pinned the Bengals down five times inside 11 yards. “Little Bos” hammered a 49 yard field goal to extend the Steelers lead and never allowed a run back.
Mike Tomlin once again completely out coached his rival Marvin Lewis. The game plan was rock solid and the Steelers controlled the Bengals for the majority of the game. They took away AJ Green, smothered their run and moved the ball despite some of Ben and AB’s struggles.
BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!
My “GAME BEER” goes to: DeAngelo Williams, who absolutely is defying Father Time. He put together a tough and gutsy performance and carried the Steelers to victory! Also Considered: Xavier Grimble, first TD, Dave Johnson who had two awesome blocks on one play and most of all Ross Cockrell, who stuff AJ Green in his pocket!
Where I watched the game: Home sweet home! It was great to be home with KGB cuddling with me on the couch when she wasn’t making awesome “snacks”! We had Keilbasa, prosciutto and soppressata in a puffed pastry. We also had an amazing time with the “The Tailgate Kids”. Dante clearly called the TD to DeAngelo! The beer of choice was Iron City, which I am almost out of and need a delivery soon. KGB made a Primanti’s 
sandwich for dinner afterwards!
My Stat of the week: Has to be 2 for 38! AJ Green’s stat line. He is a game changer and one of the best WR in the league. He absolutely torched future HOF Darrell Revis last week and this week Ross Cockrell nullified his impact. It was a great job by the Steelers defense!
My thoughts on Next Week: The Steelers have always struggled against the Eagles. However, I think a rookie QB will have trouble with the Steelers D. Also look for a monster bounce back game from AB.
This weeks Jersey: LC Greenwood, 1930’s Throwback