Who knew that the Cincinnati Bengals were the cure-all for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2023?
The last time the Steelers and Bengals matched up was in Week 12, a game the Steelers won 16-10 and had 421 yards of total offense, breaking a 58-game streak of not gaining more than 400 yards.
Then, on Saturday in Week 16, the Steelers snapped a three-game losing streak in impressive fashion. Veteran backup quarterback Mason Rudolph, in his first start since the 2021 season, lit up the Bengals while the Steelers’ defense put a stop to the Jake Browning hype train in impressive fashion, leading to the most complete game the Steelers have played in some time under head coach Mike Tomlin.
Rudolph threw for 290 yards and two touchdowns, much-maligned wide receiver George Pickens had a monster game, and a short-handed defense saw practice squad elevation Eric Rowe pick off a pass as part of a three-turnover night from Browning.
Sorry for the pun that is overplayed, but there is no denying this: Rudolph saved Christmas for the Steelers.
Let’s get to some grades.
QB — A
What a performance by Rudolph just two days before Christmas. With things spiraling for the Steelers, Mike Tomlin turned to Rudolph, and like the famous reindeer, Rudolph delivered a big performance before Christmas, guiding the Steelers’ sleigh to an impressive win.
Rudolph came out firing — literally. His first pass was an 86-yard touchdown to Pickens on a slant route. Later, he dropped a dime to Pickens for a 66-yard touchdown and really just looked good throughout the game.
He completed 17-of-27 passes for 290 yards and two touchdowns. He stood in the pocket, took shots down the field, threw with good accuracy and really looked poised. His only real miss was a deep shot to Diontae Johnson in the second half that he just threw too far outside.
When he wasn’t throwing the ball and really slinging the pill in impressive fashion, Rudolph showed serious fire. On a 7-yard carry that moved the chains in the red zone, he took on defenders and did a sort of John Elway move, diving over a defender and going a semi-helicopter, leaving it all on the line to move the chains.
Guys seemed to really rally around him, and his performance helped in a major way.
RB — A-
The numbers might not be all that impressive, but it was a great night for Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren.
Harris rushed for 78 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. His longest run of the night was just 13 yards, but he was a hammer for the Steelers. He ran hard all night long, had good vision and balance and really bounced back from a rough performance against the Indianapolis Colts one week ago.
Harris had a 3-yard touchdown run to make it 21-0 in the second quarter, showing great effort to extend the ball and break the plane. He was very solid overall.
Warren had a nice night, too. He had just 24 yards on eight carries but added 30 receptions on five receptions. His 54 total yards on the night helped him eclipse 1,000 total yards on the season, becoming just the second-ever undrafted free agent to accomplish that feat for the Steelers, joining Willie Parker.
Warren made headlines Saturday night with his monstrous block on Bengals linebacker Germaine Pratt on Calvin Austin III’s 7-yard touchdown run. He absolutely de-cleated the veteran linebacker. That’s how you throw a block for a teammate!
WR — A-
After being under fire all week long due to his lack of effort against the Colts on a block, and then making some questionable comments that generated further headlines and resulted in head coach Mike Tomlin needing to address the media again, George Pickens had a career night against the Bengals.
The second-year receiver hauled in four passes for 195 yards and two touchdowns. He scored on an 86-yard catch-and-run on the Steelers’ second play from scrimmage and then had a 66-yard touchdown in the third quarter. He also had a 44-yard catch in the second quarter, setting up a Chris Boswell field goal to give the Steelers a 24-0 lead at the half.
Along with Pickens, Allen Robinson II had a strong night. He caught all four targets for 36 yards, making some key plays early on for the Steelers as the offense got into a groove. He hasn’t been used much this season in the passing game but on Saturday he was dependable.
Diontae Johnson had just two receptions for 15 yards, but he had a big third-down catch along the sideline that was contested and moved the chains. His night would have been even bigger if Rudolph would have hit him in the third quarter on a deep ball after he burned Mike Hilton out of the slot.
Calvin Austin III didn’t have a reception on the night, but he should have drawn a pass interference penalty on a deep ball from Rudolph. Though it was underthrown, Hilton very clearly contacted Austin early, impeding him from making a play on the ball. He had a 7-yard rushing touchdown though on a jet sweep.
TE — B-
Very little impact in the passing game for the tight ends, which was a bit disappointing considering the dominance Pat Freiermuth had in the last matchup. But it didn’t matter for the Steelers’ offense.
Darnell Washington had the lone reception for Steelers tight ends, hauling in an 8-yard pass from Rudolph. Washington had a nice block on Austin’s rushing touchdown, too, as did Freiermuth, who had a nice kick-out block.
The tight ends have been criticized in recent weeks from a blocking perspective, but they responded Saturday.
OL — B+
Strong performance from the Steelers’ offensive line against the Bengals. It was. nice bounce back for the group, too.
The Steelers allowed just one sack, which was more about Rudolph sliding in the pocket into the sack, rather than the offensive line losing on the rep. Pittsburgh also allowed just three quarterback hits on the night.
In the run game, the line did quite well, helping the Steelers rush for 113 yards and two touchdowns. Though they averaged just 3.8 yards per carry, it was a consistent rushing performance for the Steelers.
Dan Moore Jr. had a silly penalty called on him for holding in the first half. It was very clearly a snatch and trap that he landed on Trey Hendrickson and not a hold at all. Strong night for the group overall though. Very encouraging.
DL — B+
After struggling in recent weeks against the run, the Steelers’ defensive line bounced back nicely, holding the Bengals to just 59 yards on the ground on 16 carries and limiting them to 3.7 yards per carry. The Steelers made the Bengals one-dimensional early on and really got after the run.
Larry Ogunjobi had two tackles in the win, while Isaiahh Loudermilk had a quarterback hit. Cameron Heyward was held off of the stats sheet, but he controlled the line of scrimmage throughout the game. Even Armon Watts flashed at times as a pass rusher, getting good push of the pocket.
It was a quiet but impactful night from the defensive line overall.
LB — A
The Steelers were dealt another significant blow against the Bengals at the inside linebacker position, losing Elandon Roberts to a pectoral injury that appears rather serious. To the Steelers’ credit though, the depth stepped up in a major way.
Mykal Walker led the Steelers with eight tackles and a tackle for loss in the win, while Myles Jack — making his 2023 debut after being elevated off of the practice squad — had seven tackles and a big sack. He nearly had an interception, too, but couldn’t come down with the tipped pass. He looked good for the Steelers. He’s healthy, in shape and played well.
Prior to getting injured, Roberts had five tackles. We’ll see if the Steelers can deal with this blow, too.
Outside, T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith were incredible.
Highsmith had a sack and a key interception. The interception ended any comeback attempt for the Bengals as he made a great play dropping into coverage and making a diving catch to create the turnover. His sack was a thing of beauty racing around the edge, beating Orlando Brown Jr. with a tremendous ghost move for the sack.
Watt gave right tackle Jonah Williams fits throughout the game. He had a sack while drawing a holding penalty, had numerous other pressures and drew a second holding call in the second half. He was his usual dominant self, especially when the Steelers needed it the most.
Nick Herbig had three tackles in limited playing time, while Markus Golden had two tackles. Herbig gave up a reception to Tyler Boyd in man coverage, though that’s not a matchup the Steelers should be calling on.
DB — B-
It’s not often that the Steelers’ safety tandem has an interception in a game, but that’s what Patrick Peterson and Eric Rowe did on Saturday. Peterson picked off a lame duck of a throw from Jake Browning in the end zone in the first quarter and then Rowe picked him off on a wobbly throw downfield in the second quarter.
Rowe played really well in his first game action with the Steelers. He had seven tackles and looked quite good throughout the game. Very encouraging. He did take a bad angle on Tee Higgins’ 81-yard touchdown though, which allowed the Bengals’ receiver to run right through zone coverage for the big touchdown.
Peterson held it down at safety, too, adding two tackles.
Joey Porter Jr. was lockdown again at corner, though he had another holding penalty, giving him 13 on the year. He played quite well in man coverage against Higgins, limiting him throughout the game. He had great coverage on a turnover on downs in a failed completion to Higgins in the end zone in the first half that kept the Bengals off the board.
Levi Wallace nearly had an interception in the first half, jumping a route. He finished with five tackles. Chandon Sullivan played well in the slot with five tackles and really gave the Steelers valuable reps.
Special Teams — B-
Chris Boswell had a strong night once again for the Steelers, connecting on both field goals in the win. He hit from 50 and 30 yards on the night and drilled all four extra points after missing one last week in the loss to the Colts. He’s been great all season and Saturday night was no different.
Pressley Harvin III did a great job holding on one of Boswell’s field goals, digging out a poor snap from long-snapper Christian Kurtz to keep the operation on track. In the punting game though, Harvin struggled. He averaged just 38.8 yards on five punts. He had punts of 42, 35, 38, 39, and 40 yards. Simply not good enough from an NFL punter.
He’s so inconsistent and Saturday was another show of that.
