Bengals Fall To Steelers 44-38 | POSTGAME RECAP, NOTES ...
The Bengals dented the NFL's fourth-best scoring defense Sunday for its most points this season behind another glittering day from quarterback Joe Burrow, but it wasn't enough to fend off the second-best passing day of Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson's career in Pittsburgh's 44-38 victory at Paycor Stadium.
Wilson hit 29 of 38 passes for 414 yards and three touchdowns while watching his defensive line generate three turnovers that included a fumble return for a touchdown as the Steelers broke open a 21-21 game.
Burrow also threw for three touchdowns and finished 28 of 38 for 309 yards, posting his eighth triple-digit passer rating of the season at 112.7.
NOTES
Burrow Throws 125th TD
Burrow's first touchdown of the day came midway through the second quarter, when he completed a jump-pass to Ja'Marr Chase for a four-yard score that put Cincinnati ahead 21-14. The play marked Burrow's 125th career touchdown pass.
Playing in his 64th career regular-season game, Burrow became the third-fastest quarterback in NFL history to record 125 touchdown passes. The only players to reach that mark in fewer games are Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes (50) and Pro Football Hall of Famer Dan Marino (54).
Ja'Marr Ties Career High
The Burrow-to-Chase touchdown in the second quarter marked Chase's league-leading 13th scoring reception of the season. It also tied his career-high 13 TD catches in the 2021 regular season. Chase finished the afternoon with six catches for 86 yards and a score.
Chase's 13 receiving touchdowns rank as the second-most in a season in Bengals history, behind Carl Pickens' 17 in the 1995 campaign.
The play also boosted Chase's career total to 42 receiving touchdowns, which moved him into sole possession for fifth-most in team history. He entered the day tied with former receiver Eddie Brown for fifth place. Chase's 42 touchdown grabs tie former New England tight end Rob Gronkowski for the fourth-most in NFL history in a player's first four seasons.
CTB Pick-Six Gets Bengals on Board
Cam Taylor-Britt picked off a Russell Wilson pass on the Steelers' first offensive possession and returned it 51 yards for a touchdown to give Cincinnati an early 7-0 lead. It was Taylor-Britt's sixth career interception (regular season) and his second this year.
The play marked the first pick-six by the Bengals since Taylor-Britt returned an interception 11 yards to the end zone in Week 5 of last season at Arizona. It also was Cincinnati's first pick-six at home since Week 12 of the 2021 campaign against Pittsburgh, when Mike Hilton intercepted a pass by Ben Roethlisberger and took it 24 yards to the house.
Taylor-Britt's return additionally was the longest pick-six by a Bengals player since former cornerback Darqueze Dennard had an 89-yarder in Week 17 of the 2017 season at Baltimore.
Brown Does It All On Go-Ahead Drive
Cincinnati answered Pittsburgh's first-quarter touchdown with a six-play, 75-yard drive capped by a one-yard rushing score by Chase Brown.
A 13-yard completion from Burrow to Tee Higgins on third-and-two kept the drive moving, but the rest of the drive belonged to Brown. He took the next snap for a 13-yard run to move the sticks, then followed up with a 40-yard dash that was stopped inches shy of the goal line. The latter play marked the longest run of Brown's career, and was the second-longest rushing attempt by the Bengals this season behind Burrow's 47-yard touchdown in Week 6 at the New York Giants.
Brown's touchdown was his sixth rushing score of the season. He now has eight total touchdowns (six rushing, two receiving) over the last nine games.
Ossai Opens Second Half With FG Block
Defensive end Joseph Ossai kept it a one-score game when he rushed through the line and blocked a 42-yard field goal attempt on the Steelers' opening drive of the second half. Cincinnati's offense followed up the block with a 12-play, 48-yard march that ended with Evan McPherson’s 38-yarder.
The play marked the Bengals' first blocked field goal since Week 8 of the 2022 season, when B.J. Hill got his hand on an attempt at Cleveland.
Extra Points
· Burrow completed 28 of 38 passes, good for a completion percentage of 73.7. It marked his 21st career game (regular season) in which he completed at least 70 percent of his passes on 30 or more attempts. That ties Patrick Mahomes for the most such games in NFL history in a player's first five career seasons.
· LB Akeem Davis-Gaither made his sixth career start and tied his career high with 13 tackles. His other 13-tackle stat line came in Week 3 of the 2022 season at the New York Jets.
· HB Khalil Herbert recorded his first carry as a member of the Bengals, a 14-yard run in the second quarter.
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WR Ja'Marr Chase celebrates his touchdown with RB Chase Brown during the Bengals Week 13 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Sunday, December 1, 2024.
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RB Chase Brown celebrates a touchdown during the Bengals Week 13 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Sunday, December 1, 2024.
Ryan Meyer
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CB Cam Taylor-Britt celebrates his interception return for a touchdown with S Vonn Bell during the Bengals Week 13 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Sunday, December 1, 2024.
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QB Joe Burrow looks to pass during the Bengals Week 13 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Sunday, December 1, 2024.
Ryan Meyer
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DEs Sam Hubbard and Trey Hendrickson celebrate a stop during the Bengals Week 13 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Sunday, December 1, 2024.
Ryan Meyer
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CB Cam Taylor-Britt returns his interception for a touchdown during the Bengals Week 13 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Sunday, December 1, 2024.
Ryan Meyer
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CB Cam Taylor-Britt returns his interception for a touchdown during the Bengals Week 13 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Sunday, December 1, 2024.
Ryan Meyer
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RB Chase Brown celebrates a touchdown during the Bengals Week 13 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Sunday, December 1, 2024.
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RB Chase Brown runs the ball during the Bengals Week 13 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Sunday, December 1, 2024.
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RB Chase Brown celebrates a touchdown with WR Tee Higgins during the Bengals Week 13 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Sunday, December 1, 2024.
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OT Amarius Mims celebrates a touchdown during the Bengals Week 13 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Sunday, December 1, 2024.
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TE Mike Gesicki runs after the catch during the Bengals Week 13 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, December 1, 2024.
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TE Mike Gesicki celebrates a catch during the Bengals Week 13 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Sunday, December 1, 2024.
Erik Schelkun
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QB Joe Burrow throws a touchdown to Ja'Marr Chase during the Bengals Week 13 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Sunday, December 1, 2024.
Erik Schelkun
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RB Khalil Herbert runs the ball during the Bengals Week 13 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Sunday, December 1, 2024.
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QB Joe Burrow throws the ball during the Bengals Week 13 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Sunday, December 1, 2024.
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DE Trey Hendrickson rushes the passer during the Bengals Week 13 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Sunday, December 1, 2024.
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CB Cam Taylor-Britt makes a tackle during the Bengals Week 13 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Sunday, December 1, 2024.
Ryan Meyer
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K Evan McPherson celebrates his third-quarter field goal during the Bengals Week 13 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Sunday, December 1, 2024.
Ryan Meyer
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LB Akeem Davis-Gaither and DE Joseph Ossai celebrate a stop during the Bengals Week 13 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Sunday, December 1, 2024.
Ryan Meyer
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TE Mike Gesicki runs after the catch during the Bengals Week 13 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Sunday, December 1, 2024.
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LB Maema Njongmeta and the Bengals celebrate a play during the Bengals Week 13 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Sunday, December 1, 2024.
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WR Tee Higgins runs after the catch during the Bengals Week 13 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Sunday, December 1, 2024.
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DE Trey Hendrickson lines up for the snap during the Bengals Week 13 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Sunday, December 1, 2024.
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QB Joe Burrow looks to throw during the Bengals Week 13 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Sunday, December 1, 2024.
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QB Joe Burrow throws the ball during the Bengals Week 13 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Sunday, December 1, 2024.
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WR Tee Higgins celebrates a fourth-quarter touchdown during the Bengals Week 13 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium, Sunday, December 1, 2024.
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WR Andrei Iosivas catches a late touchdown during the Bengals Week 13 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, December 1, 2024.
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WR Andrei Iosivas catches a late touchdown during the Bengals Week 13 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, December 1, 2024.
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QB Joe Burrow looks to throw during the Bengals Week 13 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, December 1, 2024.
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QUOTES
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