The Steelers couldn’t get much going offensively early on, but near the end of the first quarter, Ben Roethlisberger snuck out of the pocket and found Antonio Brown 10 yards or so downfield. Brown caught it and found a ton of running room, leading to a 45-yard gain. Isaac Redman and the Steelers got down inside the Bengals’ 10 yard line, and then punched it in with a short run by Rashard Mendenhall.
Early in the second quarter, then, it’s 7-0 Steelers, even though the Bengals have actually played pretty well so far. The Bengals’ inability to score after the bomb from Andy Dalton to A.J. Green put them in great position was big – not only could the Bengals not get a touchdown, but Cameron Heyward’s blocked field goal kept them from getting any points at all. The Steelers got the job done, and as a result, they’re in good shape.
For more on the Steelers, check out Behind The Steel Curtain.