The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 on Sunday in a game that was as crazy as a soup sandwich. If you missed it, the Steelers sneaked away with a Chris Boswell 53 yard game winning field goal as time expired in overtime.
This game was chaotic even prior to overtime. The Steelers had a chance to run out the clock after stopping the Bengals on 4th and goal. They failed to do so and punted the ball back to Cincinnati, allowing Joe Burrow to find Jamar Chase for an easy touchdown with 2 seconds left. This was the Bengals chance to win the game in regulation. Although, Steeler’s safety Minkah Fitzpatrick wasn’t ready to go home as he blocked the extra point that would’ve given the Bengals the win 21-20. This was just the beginning of absolute chaos.
Joe Burrow to Ja'Marr Chase to tie the game.
Steelers BLOCK the extra point. It's Minkah Fitzpatrick getting his hand on it.
Unreal. pic.twitter.com/mEevxCpm6Z
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 11, 2022
ENTER OVERTIME
To begin overtime, the Steelers went three and out and punted the ball back to Cincinnati. Consequently, the Bengals drove down the field and promptly missed a 29 yard field goal that would’ve ended the game.
https://twitter.com/DerFranzWagner/status/1569059749190156288?s=20&t=4Wb52ZDqTY1o9u8nSMq2Lw
THE CATCH
Then, Mitch Trubisky slung a pass towards the Steelers’ sideline and the claw of steel went up to grab it. This catch by Diontae Johnson will go down as one of the catches of the season. Additionally, the reason that it isn’t being talked about more is that it didn’t lead to a Steelers win on that possession.
HOW DID DIONTAE JOHNSON CATCH THIS? 🤯
(via @steelers)pic.twitter.com/CNZX3aTkKQ
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 11, 2022
THE DOINK
After Diontae Johnson’s unreal catch to get the Steelers down the field, they sent Chris Boswell out to try and finish the game with a 56 yard field goal. Just when you thought this game couldn’t get any crazier…
CHRIS BOSWELL WITH THE DOINK 😬
THIS BENGALS-STEELERS GAME IS NUTS!pic.twitter.com/kV1g2RJfwA
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 11, 2022
THE DISALLOWED ADVANCE
The rule is that only the player that fumbled the football can pick it up and advance it. This rule really saved the Steelers here, and was a bad break for the Bengals. Hence the rule, the Bengals were forced to punt after this rare play that was taken back to the spot of the fumble. Equally important was that the punt went into the end zone for a touchback, allowing the Steelers with solid field position.
On 3rd & 4, Burrow sacked by Arthur Maulet .. fumble recovered by Perine, cannot be advanced .. ball is on the 50#Steelers 20 #Bengals 20 OT pic.twitter.com/LeLCkFDyRg
— Sᴘᴏʀᴛs 24/7 (@Sports_24x7_) September 11, 2022
THE WIZARD OF BOZ PART II
The fact that this game was still going at this point was beyond madness. With 5 seconds left in Overtime, Chris Boswell got his redemption and converted a 53 yard field goal to win. The Wizard of Boz is real, people.
https://twitter.com/bcarr_13/status/1569064960747094016?s=20&t=4Wb52ZDqTY1o9u8nSMq2Lw
CONCLUSION
This was the most absurd, chaotic, and downright unpredictable game that I have ever watched. It seemed destined to end in a tie, but we know that nobody likes kissing their sister (unless you’re Jamie Lannister). All jokes aside, The Steelers epic win was numbed by injuries to star players TJ Watt and Najee Harris. In fact, the Steelers fear that Watt will be out at least 4-5 games if not the entire season. Najee Harris’ injury is less serious and he should be back in 2-3 weeks.
The good news is that the Steelers next 3 games are against the Patriots, Browns, and Jets. An easier schedule for these next 3 weeks is exactly what the Steelers need. If you’re still feeling down about TJ Watt and Najee Harris getting injured, this video of Mike Tomlin dancing in the locker after the win will surely brighten your mood.
Mike Tomlin is GOATED dancing to AB. 🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/bVbFAIV2De
— BeatinTheBookie.com®️ (@BeatinTheBookie) September 12, 2022