Steelers pull off miracle win over Bengals
Steelers receiver Antonio Brown lies on the ground surrounded by teammates and the Cincinnati Bengals following a play late in the fourth quarter of the Steelers' 18-16 win Saturday at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati. Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict was penalized for the hit, and another penalty by Bengals cornerback Adam Jones following the play put the Steelers in field-goal range before kicking the go-ahead score.
The Steelers' Ross Cockrell is surrounded by players after he recovers a fumble late in the fourth quarter of the Steelers' wild-card win Saturday at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati. The fumble recovery would allow the Steelers one final drive, which resulted in a game-winning field goal.
Sylvester Washington Jr.
Antwon Blake intercepts a pass during Saturday’s AFC Wild-Card Game between the Steelers and Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati.
Bengals QB A.J. McCarron gets hit by Cameron Heyward during Saturday's AFC Wild-Card Game between the Steelers and Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati.
Steelers Ben Roethlisberger gets hit during Saturday's AFC Wild-Card Game between the Steelers and Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati.
CINCINNATI — Way, way back in aught-five, when last the Pittsburgh Eleven met the Cincinnati Bengals in postseason play, the Steelers could have been best described as a hard-nosed, ground-and-pound team.
Flash forward 10 years later and the Steelers have been neither. Except for Saturday night in their biggest game to date, of course.
The Steelers rode the most unlikely running duo of Fitzgerald Toissant and Jordan Todman, an inspired defensive effort, a first-year kicker and, oh, backup quarterback Landry Jones replacing an injured Ben Roethlisberger for the better part of the fourth quarter to beat the Cincinnati Bengals.
And it worked as the Steelers scored a nail-biting 18-16 win in Saturday night’s AFC Wild-Card Game at rain-soaked Paul Brown Stadium. It was a finish that will be talked about for only the next century or so, as the Bengals self-destructed in the final 30 seconds when Vontaze Burfict and Pacman Jones lost their composure and the game.
After Roethlisberger returned from a shoulder injury, in a Willis Reed-like moment, he led the Steelers into Cincinnati territory. But personal fouls on Burfict and Jones, following a hit that KO-ed Antonio Brown, set up Chris Boswell’s 35-yard field goal in the final seconds as the Steelers escaped with their wildest win this side of the Immaculate Reception.
It was the Steelers’ first playoff win in five years, and it sets up a divisional round matchup next week in Denver against Peyton Manning and the top-seeded Broncos.
And if it sounds odd that the Steelers would owe their win over Cincinnati to their defense and running game, it is.
Yet somehow it was only fitting for a game in which Mike Munchak, the Steelers offensive line coach, was flagged for his role in an altercation along the sideline. A game in which there were fights between the Steelers and Bengals — go figure — and even Bengals on Bengals. A game in which the Steelers were penalized for celebrating a touchdown that was negated by penalty.
Also, mind you, this isn’t the Steel Curtain or the days of Blitzburgh, but the 16 points the Steelers allowed, all in the fourth quarter, were their sixth-fewest this season.
That it came against a backup quarterback and a team with a tortured playoff history, which now includes five straight losses in the first round, is moot. Any win over Burfict and the detested Bengals, the team that won the division and ended Le’Veon Bell’s season in November, only makes it sweeter.
The NFL’s 21st-ranked defense pressured A.J. McCarron all night as the second-year quarterback looked in over his head until the fourth quarter.
McCarron was sacked three times and picked off by the oft-criticized Antwon Blake.
For the second time in a month, the Steelers not only beat the Bengals, they beat them up.
Reggie Nelson, who tied for the league lead with eight interceptions, was knocked out of the game with an ankle injury. Cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick left with a thigh injury and running back Giovani Bernard was concussed after taking a vicious — but clean — hit late in the third quarter of yet another ultra-physical game between the rivals.
But it came at a great cost to the Steelers, who lost Roethlisberger on the last play from scrimmage in the third quarter. Burfict — who else? — sacked Roethlisberger, driving the Steelers QB hard to the turf. Roethlisberger was later carted off.
Landry Jones, who had been in danger of being cut in training camp, came on for Roethlisberger as he did earlier this season. Fortunately for the Steelers, Jones didn’t have to play the hero, but he was nearly the goat when he was intercepted by Burfict, off all people.
But on this night, the Steelers’ heroes were Touissant and Todman, the third and fourth options at running back after backup DeAngelo Williams’ foot injury last week. Touissant and Todman combined for over 120 rushing yards and another 43 in receiving.
Other than that, nothing out of the ordinary. Now, somehow, it’s on to Denver.