The Pittsburgh Steelers held off the Cincinnati Bengals 30-27 on Sunday at Acrisure Stadium to improve to 2-1. The Bengals dropped to 2-1 and absorbed their first loss of the season.
Steelers coach Mike McCarthy later acknowledged he had set a specific scoring goal before the game. He told reporters he wrote down 31 points as the target he believed his team would need.
“I wrote down 31 in my notes going in as far as the target,” McCarthy said. “And that’s the last time I’m going to say something like that because I was stupid for that to come out of my mouth. But I just knew that I felt that we needed to score points.”
Pittsburgh finished one point short of that number but still came away with the win in a game that featured big plays on both sides.
Aaron Rodgers completed 19 of 34 passes for 292 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. He spread the ball to nine different receivers.
Jaylen Warren carried 17 times for 127 yards and added three receptions for 49 yards. His 176 yards from scrimmage marked one of the stronger individual performances of his career. Warren played through a shoulder injury that had limited him in practice earlier in the week.
The Steelers finished with 411 total yards after managing just 23 points across their first two games. They converted seven of 12 third-down attempts, a clear improvement from the opening weeks.
Pittsburgh scored touchdowns on its first two possessions. Rodgers found Roman Wilson for a 38-yard score on the opening drive. He later hit Ben Skowronek for a 23-yard touchdown before the first quarter ended.
Chris Boswell added a field goal in the second quarter to give the Steelers a 17-10 halftime lead. In the third quarter Rodgers connected with DK Metcalf on a six-yard touchdown pass that put Pittsburgh ahead 24-20.
Joe Burrow kept Cincinnati in the game throughout. He completed 28 of 37 passes for 282 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. Ja’Marr Chase caught nine passes for 98 yards and a touchdown. Tee Higgins added six receptions for 90 yards and a score. Tight end Mike Gesicki hauled in a 25-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter that put the Bengals in front 27-24.
A muffed punt by Cincinnati’s Ke’Shawn Williams set up Boswell’s 36-yard field goal that tied the game at 27 with 8:45 remaining. Boswell then kicked a 33-yarder with 2:18 left to give the Steelers a 30-27 lead.
Cincinnati drove into Pittsburgh territory in the final minute. Derrick Harmon sacked Burrow and forced a fumble. Sebastian Joseph-Day recovered the ball with under a minute to play, allowing the Steelers to kneel out the clock.
The victory prevented Cincinnati from starting 3-0 for the first time since 2015. Pittsburgh now sits atop the AFC North and travels to Cleveland for a Thursday night game against the Browns.
The Steelers’ offense generated 138 rushing yards and 292 passing yards while the defense recorded its only sack of the afternoon at the most important moment.
