The Steelers got off to a slow start before cruising to a 23-7 win.
Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger complained to referee Walt Coleman about Bengals players hitting him in the head, but he said, “I got the same response that I got last week, that he was just trying to tackle you. So I just let it go.”
On a day the offense struggled, the Steelers’ defense did all the work to beat the Bengals.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin noted that LB LaMarr Woodley had a costly penalty early in the game and made up for it later: “He provided plays,” Tomlin said, “but he owed us.”
Steelers S Troy Polamalu was the best player on the field Sunday, but afterward he was flogging himself for a bizarre lateral after a game-clinching interception, which Polamalu described as, “incredibly arrogant and selfish and foolish of me.”
Said Bengals coach Marvin Lewis, “You can’t turn the football over and you certainly can’t stop them 14 points like we did today. That’s too difficult to overcome and led to our demise here.”
Bengals LT Andrew Whitworth became the fourth offensive lineman in team history to score a touchdown when he grabbed 1-yard touchdown pass from Carson Palmer on the opening drive. Unfortunately for Cincinnati, the Bengals wouldn’t score again.
Injuries are devastating the Bengals’ secondary.
The decline of Carson Palmer may be the saddest thing about this Bengals season.
