Slew of mistakes costly to Steelers in 28-20 loss to Bengals
PITTSBURGH – The Steelers did a lot of things right, but too many things wrong in Sunday’s 28-20 home loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Pittsburgh found its running game, to the tune of 170 yards and a 4.5-yard average, and its defense limited Cincinnati’s high-powered offense to 264 yards, forced three fumbles, sacked Carson Palmer six times and intercepted two of his passes.
But costly mistakes were the difference. Ben Roethlisberger threw three interceptions, Verron Haynes lost a fumble and Ricardo Colclough muffed a punt. That adds up to five turnovers, which spelled doom for the (1-2) Steelers.
The Bengals improved to 3-0 and opened a two-game lead over the Steelers with this AFC North Division win.
“Obviously, the two turnovers in the fourth quarter (Colclough’s muff and Haynes’ fumble) were the difference in the game,” Steelers coach Bill Cowher said. “You’re not going to win many games when you turn the ball over five times.”
Yet, there was a bit of optimism in Cowher’s post-game address to the media.
“There were a lot more encouraging things than there were discouraging things,” he said. “Willie Parker ran well and I felt pretty good about our defense today. But this is a game we’re going to have to live with for a couple of weeks. The answers are in (the Steelers’ locker) room. We’ll just come back Wednesday and start getting it done.”
Parker ran for 133 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries, but was more interested in the last part of Cowher’s comment than the first part.
“We’ll be all right, but these are the types of games we’ve got to win,” Parker said.
“This is not about the person, it’s about the team. We lost and that’s all that matters. I don’t care how many times I touch the ball or if I get it near the goal line or anywhere else. If we don’t win, none of that matters.”
The Steelers went 80 yards on 8 plays on their first possession. Parker capped the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run on first-and-goal. Roethlisberger passed to Cedric Wilson for 36 yards on third-and-10 early in the drive.
Pittsburgh got the ball back on a strange sequence of plays in which Palmer fumbled on back-to-back sacks (Clark Haggans and Larry Foote) before throwing an interception to Deshea Townsend.
Roethlisberger drove the Steelers to a first-and-goal at the Bengals’ 6-yard line, but his throw to Heath Miller in the end zone was intercepted by Madieu Williams and returned to the 3-yard line.
“It felt like they knew that play was coming,” Roethlisberger said of the interception. “I thought I had Heath clean, but their safety came up with a big play.”
The Bengals capitalized by marching 97 yards on 14 plays, with Palmer passing for a 13-yard touchdown to Chris Henry on a third-and-3 play to tie the score, 7-7.
Henry beat Colclough for a second TD five seconds before halftime to put the Bengals ahead, 14-7, at the break. A missed Jeff Reed field goal set up the Bengals for a 62-yard, 7-play drive that took only 1:03 to complete.
Reed capped Pittsburgh’s first possession of the second half with a 37-yard field goal to cut Cincinnati’s lead to 14-10 with 9:37 remaining in the third quarter. The drive covered 42 yards on 9 plays.
The defense set the table for Parker’s second touchdown run of the game. Ryan Clark’s big hit on Henry served up an interception for Ike Taylor, who returned the pick 34 yards to the Bengals’ 7-yard line. It took four carries, but Parker got all seven yards in the drive and Pittsburgh reclaimed the lead, 17-14 with 5:43 remaining in the third quarter.
From that point until Colclough’s muffed punt, 8:02 showing in the fourth quarter, the Steelers defense seemed intent on stopping the Bengals.
Cincinnati converted 4-of-5 third downs in the first half, but finished the game 4-of-12.
“Defensively, in the second, we did a very good job outside of the two plays that they hit after the turnovers,” Cowher said. “I’d like to see us hold them to field goals there.”
Instead, the Bengals turned them into touchdowns. Palmer hit T.J. Houshmandzadeh with a 9-yard scoring pass right after Colclough’s muff, which Tony Stewart recovered for Cincinnati.
Cincinnati’s Brian Simmons recovered Haynes’ fumble to again set the table for the Bengals offense and Palmer went to Houshmandzadeh again, this time from 30 yards out for a touchdown that put Cincinnati ahead by 11, 28-17, with 7:05 to play.
“I was trying for extra yards and their guy (Kevin Kaesviharn) made a good play,” Haynes said. “He put his helmet right on the ball and it came loose.”
The Steelers made it an 8-point game on Reed’s second field goal, a 36-yarder with 3:18 remaining. The kick capped a 15-play, 62-yard drive and cut Cincinnati’s lead to 28-20.
But that’s all the closer the Steelers would get. Their hopes of completing this comeback ended quite appropriately, with a Roethlisberger interception.
The Steelers have a bye next weekend before traveling to San Diego for a Sunday night game against the Chargers.