Winners and losers from the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 34-11 win against the Cincinnati Bengals Saturday evening.
WINNERS
Patrick Peterson/Eric Rowe – A motley crew of Steelers safeties making impact plays. Rowe didn’t have the foot speed to stop an 80-yard score by Bengals WR Tee Higgins, though it would be unfair to blame Rowe for allowing the catch, but the Steelers’ secondary made impact plays that had been missing during the team’s three-game losing streak.
Peterson had the first pick, taking advantage of a lollipop by QB Jake Browning, who might have tried and failed to throw the ball away. Not the world’s toughest interception but a critical one with the Bengals in the red zone, keeping points off the board. And Peterson had the presence of mind to take a knee in the end zone instead of running it out, a miscue that’s hurt this team a couple times earlier in the season.
Rowe had a solid zone pick on Browning later in the game, playing underneath and sinking to step in front of a downfield throw. He also played solid run defense, including a third-down stop near the Steelers’ goal line that set up a failed fourth-down attempt by the Bengals.
For all the injuries Pittsburgh dealt with, essentially working on its fifth and sixth string safeties, these two stepped up.
Mason Rudolph – Of course Rudolph is going to be on here. I won’t even make the cheesy (but warranted!) Christmas joke of guiding the team to a must-win game. Rudolph was smart, efficient, and he did what Mike Tomlin’s been searching for all season: points on the board.
His deep ball has always been among his top traits not just in arm strength but in accuracy. And he put the ball on a rope to Pickens for his 66-yard score. Rudolph was in control and command throughout, not doing too much but knowing when to take chances and cashing in. Football is a results-oriented game, and the results were there.
George Pickens – We’ll be talking about Pickens this week but for all the right and good reasons. He balled out. While many wanted Pickens benched, Tomlin played him, a decision proven correct from the first pass of the game. A 76-yard touchdown, Pickens taking a slant and making a house call, the team’s longest passing touchdown in years. He followed that up with a 66-yard touchdown down the left sideline in the third quarter, immediately answering a Bengals touchdown and taking the wind out of their sails.
An overall excellent performance with Pickens winning to all levels of the field. And showing why, though we all know and understood his talent, the team wants to go to the ends of the Earth to develop him.
Run Defense – The Steelers win when they make their opponent one-dimensional. They did it to the Bengals in Week 12. And they did it again tonight. Despite Cincinnati adding RB Chase Brown into their backfield since the last meeting, the Bengals suffered similar results. RB Joe Mixon and Brown were bottled up all game and by mid-way through the fourth quarter, the two averaged exactly 3.0 yards per carry. Really nice job across the board, especially after losing LB Elandon Roberts (pec) early in the game. Cincinnati never found traction and playing from behind throughout certainly helped.
Run Offense/O-Line Run Blocking – On the other end, the Steelers’ running game churned downhill all game. Perhaps it wasn’t as gaudy as it was in Week 12, but it was effective and consistent. Najee Harris ran hard and downhill. Credit to the line for winning the line of scrimmage and pushing back the Bengals, suffering without interior plugger D.J. Reader. Pittsburgh went over 100 yards rushing and helped close out the game on the ground with some old-school Steelers football.
T.J. Watt/Alex Highsmith – Impactful performances by the two of them. Watt taking it to RT Jonah Williams, drawing a hold, still sacking Browning, and forcing a fumble all on the same play. Williams was cheating the snap count by game’s end, getting flagged for a false start. Highsmith had a sack, dipping under and past highly paid LT Orlando Brown Jr. while dropping into coverage for a diving pick, his second of the season.
Mike Tomlin – He’s been on the losers list for not having his teams ready. They were today. A complete game, their first of the season, the Steelers came out hot and didn’t look back. They answered when the Bengals scored and tried to get into the game. A must-have win, and they did it in style.
LOSERS
Broderick Jones – Judging a lineman can be tough live and the All-22 will be a true measure of his performance. But he seemed to struggle in pass protection, getting beat on one sack. He struggles a lot with inside rushes and his stunt pickups haven’t been the cleanest, Jones not always able to slide down and close the gap of the crasher on twists and games. A work in progress and maybe going back to his home at left tackle is the answer.
Pressley Harvin III – Field position wasn’t as consequential as in previous games, a blowout win will do that, but Harvin’s performance still wasn’t great. A bit better, perhaps, with one good pin-deep/red zone punt, but he missed some open-field opportunities, including his final boot. It’s not as critical a “loser” as some other games and you can live with a lot more in a big victory, but he can be better.
