[GAME_RECAP]
Steel City turned into Dill City on Sunday as the Steelers thumped the Bengals 34-12 at Acrisure. Pittsburgh not only flexed on the field, they covered the number and sent the total under for the ticket-punchers at home. So yes, that’s a double win for the Terrible Towels: Steelers -5.5, under 48.5 both cashing. (espn.com)
Pittsburgh set the tone early with a 35-yard burst from Jaylen Warren and an 11-yard dart from Aaron Rodgers to Kenneth Gainwell for six. Joe Flacco answered with a moonball to Tee Higgins for a 28-yard score, but Cincy’s two-point try got stuffed, and a late Chris Boswell chip shot made it 10-6 at the break. Out of halftime, Chase Brown tried to tilt the field himself—ripping a 35-yarder to set up an Evan McPherson 43-yard field goal—sneaking it to 10-9 and turning up the volume in the ‘Burgh.
Then came the hinge of the whole afternoon. Mason Rudolph piloted a steady drive for a Boswell 30-yarder, and moments later the defense dropped the hammer: Kyle Dugger jumped a route and housed a 74-yard pick-six to blow it open. The Bengals clawed back to 20-12, but Pittsburgh slammed the door with Rudolph coolly finding Gainwell again for a fourth-quarter score, and James Pierre put the bow on it with a 33-yard scoop-and-score after a Noah Fant fumble. For all the pregame chatter about Flacco as a sneaky Week 11 play, the Steelers’ D and backs stole the show. (sbnation.com)
The Steelers’ two-QB groove worked just fine: Rodgers (9/15, 116 yards, 1 TD) and Rudolph (12/16, 127 yards, 1 TD) combined to keep the chains moving without a pick. Gainwell was the mismatch machine—7 catches, 81 yards, 2 TDs, plus some tough yards on the ground—while Warren churned out 62 rushing yards and DK Metcalf chipped in 5 grabs for 49. Cincinnati’s bright spot was Brown with 18 carries for 99 yards, and Higgins popped the lone TD, but Ja’Marr Chase was held to 3 catches for 30 on 10 targets as Pittsburgh’s secondary kept the clamps on.
Big Dill of the Game: Kenneth Gainwell. Two tutties through the air, chain-moving catches on the dagger drive, and constant stress on the Bengals’ linebackers—my guy turned Acrisure into his personal gain lane. That’s a wrap from Big Dill Sports, where ballin’ is a big dill. Catch you next time for more saucy Sundays.
[QUARTER_BREAKDOWN]
| TEAM | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIN | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 12 |
| PIT | 7 | 3 | 10 | 14 | 34 |
[PLAYER_BOXSCORE]
CIN - Passing (1 players)
| Player | Pos | Att | Comp | Yds | TD | INT | FPTS | PPR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Flacco | QB | 40 | 23 | 199 | 1 | 1 | 9.9 | 9.9 |
PIT - Passing (2 players)
| Player | Pos | Att | Comp | Yds | TD | INT | FPTS | PPR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aaron Rodgers | QB | 15 | 9 | 116 | 1 | - | 9.4 | 9.4 |
| Mason Rudolph | QB | 16 | 12 | 127 | 1 | - | 9.0 | 9.0 |
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