Weird stats from one heck of a weird game.
– Off the top, we’ve dedicated a separate post to what QB Russell Wilson accomplished in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 44-38 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. So go check that out for all the weird and wonky related to Wilson’s 414-yard, three-touchdown outing.
– I will, however, add one stat I didn’t include in that post. Russell Wilson is the first Steelers QB to throw a pick-six on the Steelers’ opening possession of the game since 2008 when Ben Roethlisberger was pick-sixed by Jacksonville Jaguars CB – and forever thorn in Pittsburgh’s side – Rashean Mathis, who housed one 72 yards the other way.
Like Wilson, Roethlisberger didn’t let that deter the team’s plan and Pittsburgh went on to win, 26-21.
– The 82 combined points between the Steelers and Bengals are the most ever across their 110 career meetings (playoffs included). It breaks the previous mark of 80 set in 1995 when Pittsburgh beat Cincinnati 49-31.
– It’s the highest-scoring divisional regular-season game Pittsburgh has played in since 2000 when it fell to the Tennessee Titans 47-36 in the old AFC Central. The only other higher-scoring divisional games were the Steelers’ 1979 51-35 win over the Cleveland Browns and their 1966 57-33 win over the Atlanta Falcons (and back then there were technically just East and West Conferences and not specific divisions).
– The Steelers tied their record for most regular-season points allowed in a victory. The 38 the Bengals scored matched the 38 Pittsburgh gave up in its 2017 39-38 win over the Baltimore Ravens, K Chris Boswell kicking the game-winning field goal with less than one minute to play.
– Five different Steelers carried the ball while 10 different players caught a pass. If you’re wondering when the last time 10 different players caught a pass, it wasn’t that long ago. It came in November 2022 when 10 different Steelers caught 20 Kenny Pickett completions in a 24-17 win over the Indianapolis Colts.
Here’s who caught passes: Benny Snell Jr., Najee Harris, Anthony McFarland Jr., Derek Watt, George Pickens, Diontae Johnson, Pat Freiermuth, Steven Sims, Cody White, and Zach Gentry. By the way, Gentry’s lone catch lost four yards.
I like yesterday’s group of pass catchers better.
– RBs Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren, and Cordarrelle Patterson combined for 13 receptions and 146 yards.
– WR Calvin Austin III scored touchdowns in back-to-back games for the first time in his NFL career. It’s the first time he’s done it since 2021, his final year at Memphis, when he scored in each of the Tigers’ first four games against Nicholls State, Arkansas State, Mississippi State, and UTSA.
– DL Cam Heyward is up to six sacks on the season. He’s the third player in team history to be 35-plus years of age and record at least six in a season. He joins LB James Farrior in 2010 and DT Ernie Stautner in 1962. Stautner holds the record with eight.
– LB Payton Wilson is the third Steelers rookie linebacker to have a fumble-recovery touchdown. He joins Devin Bush in 2019 and Joey Porter Sr. in 1999 (which came in January 2000, the regular-season finale against Tennessee).
– CB Donte Jackson picked off his fifth pass of the season. It’s the most he’s had in his career, NFL or college. He’s the first Steelers CB to have at least five picks in his first year with the team since Dewayne Washington had five for Pittsburgh in 1998.
– EDGE T.J. Watt notched his 24th game of two-plus sacks, the most of any player since he was drafted in 2017. He’s now in the top 20 since sacks became official in 1982 tied with Andre Tippett, Dwight Freeney, and Cameron Jordan. He’s nearly halfway to Reggie White’s record 50.
– Watt has 106 career sacks, fourth-most in NFL history (including unofficial numbers) through a player’s first eight years. Only Deacon Jones (128), Reggie White (124), and DeMarcus Ware (111) have more. Watt passed Jared Allen (105) yesterday.
– EDGE Nick Herbig has recorded a forced fumble in 24 percent of his career games, six of 25. Since forced fumbles became officially tracked, the only Steeler who has more of them through his first two years is T.J. Watt and his seven from 2017-2018. Herbig has five games to match (or overtake) him.
– Chris Boswell is on pace to finish the year with 48 field goals, keeping him on track to break David Akers’ all-time mark. Boswell has 34 on the year and is two away from his career-best with five games to go.
– The Steelers logged 28 first downs in the win, their most since 2022 against the New Orleans Saints when they also had 28. The last time they had more came in 2018 against the Kansas City Chiefs.
– A specific but weird stat. Pittsburgh allowed a 31-yard completion to WR Tee Higgins on 3rd and 21 in the second half against Cincinnati. It’s the first time the Steelers have allowed a first down on 3rd/4th and 21-plus since 2003 when St. Louis Rams WR Torry Holt had a 40-yard reception on 3rd and 23 (and if you know us, you know we found the play).
The time it happened before that came the year before in 2002 when Atlanta Falcons QB Michael Vick found WR Shawn Jefferson for 35 yards on 3rd and 24. Shawn Jefferson is the father of Van Jefferson, who plays for the Steelers and caught a 43-yard pass in their Sunday win.
– Finally, I leave you with my favorite stat of the day. Pittsburgh has now punted just once in back-to-back games. It’s happened for only the second time since WWII. The only other post-1945 instance came in 2004, when Pittsburgh punted zero times in consecutive games against the New York Giants in Week 15 and Baltimore Ravens in Week 16.
