The Steelers beat the Bengals, 27-12, to keep their hold on first place in the AFC North.
But the club may have a significant injury concern with their starting quarterback.
Aaron Rodgers did not play in the second half after suffering a left hand injury late in the second quarter. Rodgers was clearly favoring his left wrist after taking some hard hits during a two-minute drill. He went to the locker room ahead of the rest of the team to get his wrist evaluated. But he did not return.
Mason Rudolph played the entire second half, helping lead the Steelers to the victory.
Rodgers was 12-of-16 for 127 yards with a touchdown in the first 30 minutes. Rudolph finished the game 12-of-16 for 127 yards with a touchdown.
Notably, Steelers defensive back Jalen Ramsey was ejected from the contest after throwing a punch at Bengals receiver Ja’Marr Chase in the fourth quarter.
But that was no matter for Pittsburgh, as the club scored a pair of defensive touchdowns to put the game away in the second half.
Safety Kyle Dugger put in a 73-yard pick-six for his first interception with the Steelers. James Pierre also returned a fumble 33 yards for a score late in the fourth quarter.
Kenneth Gainwell caught two touchdowns on Sunday — capping the first drive with an 11-yard TD before also scoring from 5-yards out on a pass from Rudolph.
Tee Higgins had Cincinnati’s early touchdown on a 28-yard reception from Joe Flacco (the Bengals didn’t convert their two-point try after a Pittsburgh penalty on the PAT). But he and the rest of the Bengals had a tough time getting anything else going offensively, having to settle for Evan McPherson field goals.
With the win, Pittsburgh improves to 6-4 and retains first place in the AFC North. The Steelers will be on the road to face the Bears in Week 12.
The Bengals have fallen to 3-7 and will host the 9-2 Patriots in Week 12. Joe Burrow’s return is getting closer, but it’s unclear if he’ll be able to be back next week.