Steelers vs. Bengals: What they’re saying in Cincinnati after 16-10 loss
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The Burrowless Bengals got a taste of a rejuvenated Kenny Pickett on Sunday as the Steelers racked up the yards and just enough points to beat Cincinnati.
With Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow out for the season with a wrist injury, the Steelers came into town and sent the fans down the Paycor Stadium escalator as 16-10 losers.
“On Sunday, the Cincinnati Bengals showed why quarterback Joe Burrow has a $275 million contract,” wrote Charlie Goldsmith in his opening sentence for the Cincinnati Enquirer. “One week after Steelers’ quarterback Kenny Pickett had a historically poor performance on passes past the line of scrimmage, he picked apart the Bengals’ defense over the middle of the field.”
Indeed. Before Sunday’s game the Steelers hadn’t topped 400 yards in 58 games. Pittsburgh gained 421 yards.
Zac Taylor’s opening thoughts pic.twitter.com/2phJaFx0tx
— Kelsey Conway (@KelseyLConway) November 26, 2023
“The Bengals defense also gave up too many splash plays again,” wrote Patrick Judis of the Cincy Jungle blog. “It put the Steelers in position to at least leave the Bengals with long fields. The recipe was a loss in the end. A game the Steelers probably feel like they escaped more than anything. You just have to wonder how much fight this roster has now under .500 and without Burrow.”
Backup quarterback Jake Browning couldn’t keep up with Pickett.
Pickett finally got the ball to tight end Pat Freiermuth, who caught nine passes for 120 yards.
“Pittsburgh’s running game gashed Cincinnati’s 31st-ranked run defense to the tune of 156 yards,” wrote Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports. “The success on the ground was largely set up by Pickett, who went 24 of 33 for 278 yards that included completions to eight different teammates. Half of those completions went to Pittsburgh’s tight ends, led by Freiermuth.”
Running back Joe Mixon couldn’t carry the load without Burrow. Actually, he only ran for 16 yards on eight carries.
“I figured that, with Burrow out, Joe Mixon would be the new focal point of the offense,” wrote Jason Garrison of Cincy Jungle. “That turned out not to be the case. It wasn’t like the Bengals went with another running back. They just opted not to run. I’m not sure if they don’t have confidence in Mixon or in their line’s ability to run block, but whatever the reason, they decided to not put the ball in Mixon’s hands, at least not as a rusher.”
bold strategy to leave TJ Watt unblocked pic.twitter.com/wFZZhoRYc9
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) November 26, 2023