The Pittsburgh Steelers bested the Cincinnati Bengals in a 16-10 contest on Sunday. The story of the game was Pittsburgh’s quick offensive turnaround following the firing of Matt Canada. The team named Eddie Faulkner interim offensive coordinator and he led the Steelers offense to its first 400-yard game since the 2020 season.
Steelers Offense Sees Big Day
Pittsburgh posted 421 yards of total offense in its best showing of the season. Kenny Pickett also managed arguably his best performance of the season. Pickett completed 73% of his passes for 278 yards and a rating of 97.8. Pickett looked confident and made quick decisions in what looked like a near-complete team outing for the Steelers’ offense.
Kenny Pickett wasn’t the only one playing confidently in the first game post-Canada. Najee Harris, Pat Friermuth, George Pickens and Diontae Johnson also found great success in the new-look Steelers offense. Harris carried the ball 15 times for 99 yards and a touchdown. Friermuth caught nine of his 11 targets for 120 yards. Before today’s game, he had caught just nine passes for 60 yards on the season. Pickens hauled in three passes for 58 yards and Johnson managed four catches for 50 yards.
Another Dominant Showing from Steelers’ Defense
The Steelers’ defense was no slouch by any means in this game, holding the Bengals to just 222 yards on the day. T.J. Watt led the charge for Pittsburgh defensively, racking up two sacks and a forced fumble to go with his five total tackles. Safety Trenton Thompson also had a nice game, wrapping up for five tackles and notching the first interception of his career. Rookie pass-rusher Nick Herbig also got in on the action for a crucial sack on a Bengals 3rd and 5.
Building on Momentum Next Week
This is a confidence-building win for a Steelers team that had seen some locker-room troubles following some lashouts from George Pickens and Diontae Johnson regarding miscommunication among Pittsburgh’s offense. It wasn’t a perfect win by any means as the team totaled just 16 points in 10 drives. There is still plenty to clean up but this definitely felt like a must-win for a team looking to stay in the playoff hunt as the Steelers are.
The Pittsburgh Steelers now sit at 7-4 and are firmly in the playoff hunt. They will look to build on this momentum as the team shifts its focus to a Week 13 contest versus the Arizona Cardinals. Arizona sits at 2-8 on the season but is riding high following the return of franchise quarterback Kyler Murray. Pittsburgh must rest up and stay true to their keys for another big day offensively. The Steelers might be able to find their identity on offense at the right time as they gear up for a playoff push in the remaining six weeks of the regular season.