PITTSBURGH – After two weeks of stellar play on the defensive side of the ball – specifically by the defensive line – the Cincinnati Bengals were humbled in a 30-27 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 27.
The sea of fans donning black and gold at Acrisure Stadium was loud and ready to make things difficult for the Bengals. And it worked. Cincinnati put its worst defensive performance of the season on display in Pittsburgh.
In addition to allowing the Steelers to move the ball up and down the field at ease for most of the game, the self-inflicted mistakes the Bengals made were the reason they lost.
From the penalties to the special teams miscue that resulted in three points for Pittsburgh in the fourth quarter, it wasn’t a particularly sharp
game for Cincinnati despite mostly stellar play from quarterback Joe Burrow and the offense for majority of the game.
But even Burrow contributed with a fumble on the Bengals' last series that ended Cincinnati's attempt to tie or win the game when it was recovered by Pittsburgh.
Cincinnati had already lost a fumble on a punt return and committed a roughing the kicker penalty against the Steelers' punter. Both plays were costly.
Prior to the Week 3 loss, the Bengals led the NFL in sacks with eight and hadn’t allowed a passing touchdown. Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers had 190 yards and two touchdowns by halftime against the Bengals and was sacked twice in the game. Defensive captain Dexter Lawrence was responsible for 1.5 of the sacks, and his play was one of the few bright spots on defense.
The Bengals struggled to get pressure on Rodgers all game. One of the weakest spots on the Steelers’ roster is their offensive line, which made Cincinnati’s inability to affect Rodgers and win their matchups puzzling.
Cincinnati’s secondary was hit with injuries in the secondary. Safety Bryan Cook and cornerback Jalen Davis suffered injuries and were in and out of the lineup for the rest of the game. Backup safety Kyle Dugger took over for Cook, and rookie Tacario Davis filled in on the outside to allow Dax Hill to move in to replace Davis at slot cornerback.
Rodgers and Pittsburgh’s head coach and offensive play-caller Mike McCarthy targeted Davis and had success. Cincinnati’s second-year linebacker Barrett Carter missed at a tackle late in the fourth quarter that allowed a 47-yard explosive play with the game tied at 27.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Bengals self-implode in first loss of season at Steelers
