Steelers hold on to beat Bengals

[mesaSteeler]

Steelers hold on to beat Bengals
http://pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_767124.html#
By Mark Kaboly
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, November 13, 2011

CINCINNATI — William Gay intercepted Andy Dalton inside the red zone with 2:27 left in the game, and the Steelers held on to beat Cincinnati, 24-17, in front 63,262 at Paul Brown Stadium today.

The Bengals were driving late to try to tie the game when Gay stepped in front of Jerome Simpson for the interception.

It was the Steelers' second interception of the game. They came into the game with only two picks in their first nine games.

Ben Roethlisberger's streak of three consecutive 300-plus passing games came to an end, but he did complete 21-of-33 passes for 245 yards and a touchdown. Antonio Brown caught five passes for 86 yards.

Dalton completed only half of his passes for 170 yards and two touchdowns, but was also intercepted twice.

Roethlisberger connected with Jerricho Cotchery from 16-yard out on the first drive of the game to take a 7-0 lead.

After forcing and three-and-out, the Steelers made it 14-0 when Rashard Mendenhall capped off a nine-play, 78-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown run.

Cincinnati answered right back with a 36-yard scoring strike from Dalton to A.J. Green and a 41-yard Mike Nugent field goal.

The Steelers appeared to have scored another touchdown near the end of the half, but Cotchery's 24-yard catch was called back because of a pass interference penalty on tight end Heath Miller. The Steelers settled for a 39-yard Shaun Suisham field goal.

The Bengals tied it midway through the third when they drove 67 yards in 11 plays and capped it with a 1-yard touchdown pass from Dalton to Jermaine Gresham.

The Steelers answered on the ensuing drive with an 11-play drove for themselves, and took a 24-17 lead with a Mendenhall 9-yard run with 2:02 left.

Mark Kaboly can be reached at mkaboly@dailynewsemail.com or 412-664-9161.

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[mesaSteeler]

Steelers defeat Bengals, 24-17
Sunday, November 13, 2011
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

CINCINNATI -- The Steelers, their defense and cornerback William Gay earned redemption today in Cincinnati.

A defense that allowed a 92-yard winning drive the previous week shut the door on a comeback by the Cincinnati Bengals to help the Steelers to a 24-17 victory today.

The Bengals were driving for a possible tying score when Gay, who gave up the winning touchdown pass in a loss to Baltimore the previous week, intercepted rookie quarterback Andy Dalton with 2:27 left.

The interception ended a Cincinnati drive that began at the eight and ended on the second-down play from the 25, thanks to Gay.

The Steelers leaped over the Bengals in the AFC North Division, improving to 7-3. Cincinnati is 6-3. It was the Steelers' 10th victory in their past 11 games at Paul Brown Stadium.

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger completed 21 of 33 passes for 245 yards.

Rashard Mendenhall ran for two touchdowns, and Roethlisberger threw for another to Jerricho Cotchery. Shaun Shuisham added a 39-yard field goal for the Steelers.

Dalton threw two touchdown passes, one to fellow rookie A.J. Green and the other to Jermaine Gresham. Mike Nugent kicked a 43-yard field goal for the Bengals.

The Steelers led the Bengals 24-17 after three quarters.

Shortly after Roethlisberger was sacked for the fourth time, Cincinnati began its first drive of the second half and tied the game on Dalton's 1-yard touchdown pass to Gresham, 17-17.

Two plays before that, the Steelers tackled Andre Caldwell at the two, which would have set up a third down and goal from there. However, linebacker Lawrence Timmons hit Caldwell after he was down, and the personal foul gave the Bengals a first down at the one.

The Steelers, though, reclaimed the lead, 24-17, on their next drive. Roethlisberger mixed up short passes (4 of 4 for 46 yards) with some good runs, including a tackle-breaking 9-yarder by Mendenhall off right guard for the touchdown, his second of the game.

Mendenhall ran five times for 21 yards on the drive.

The Steelers led 17-10 at halftime.

Once down 14-0, the Bengals nibbled away at the Steelers' lead.

A bobbled pass by tight end Heath Miller was intercepted by cornerback Leon Hall, leading to the Bengals' second score, a 43-yard field goal by Nugent that cut the Steelers lead to 14-10.

Roethlisberger's pass to Miller was delivered perfectly from their 36. As Miller tried to get a handle on the ball, Hall swooped in and took it away at the Steelers' 41.

Roethlisberger then led a 67-yard drive that ended with Suisham's 39-yard field goal and a 17-10 lead. Antonio Brown caught four passes for 74 yards on that drive, two of them on third down. However, Roethlisberger also was sacked three times on that series, the final time from the Bengals 10 on third down.

The Steelers thought they had a 24-yard touchdown pass on that series to Cotchery, but Miller was penalized for pass interference on the play.

The Steelers led 14-0 and then 14-7 at the end of the first quarter.

They scored a touchdown on their opening drive for the fifth time in the past six games, a 16-yard pass from Roethlisberger to Cotchery.

After a Bengals three-and-out, the Steelers took over on their 46 and dinked and dunked their way to the 16. Their only play longer than seven ayrds was Mike Wallace's 15-yard run.

The Steelers and Bengals then made it 2-for-2 with the Bengals going three-and-out and the Steelers driving for a second touchdown. Mendenhall scored on a 2-yard run up the middle after Miller, on third down, caught an 18-yard pass to the two.

The Steelers moved 78 yards on nine plays on that drive to go ahead 14-0.

Cincinnati responded with a 36-yard touchdown pass on their next series, from Dalton to rookie Green, who caught the ball over both Troy Polamalu and Ryan Clark in the middle of the end zone. Polamalu seemed to have a bead on the ball and position but simply watched as Green caught it.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11317/1189700-66-0.stm#ixzz1ddeqk4aj