I decided to attend the game. Season tickets went to Katie and Austin as a wedding gift. They got married on the weekend of the Dublin game. She is a lifelong Steelers fan. Her mom and my wife were classmates at Beaver Falls High School. Austin was born in Alabama. So, he grew up with SEC football and never adopted a pro football team. He’s a member of Steeler Nation through marriage now.
So, I drove up to Pittsburgh on Saturday. Spent some time with my friends Timmy and Mona at their river house down by the Ohio River in Monaca. Then I headed to Acrisure Stadium early Sunday morning.
Steeler Nation Welcoming
Katie attended a game years ago with her dad. Austin was attending his first Steelers game. I met them near the Science Center across the street from the stadium. I introduced them to Lenny and Cindie, who run the Renegade Tailgate. My buddy Ken Sterner took them under his wing since he would be in the same section in the Champion’s Club. They loved the game and met so many other Steelers fans since they live down in Virginia.
The pregame energy was nervous. A pivotal game for the Steelers. Most folks anticipated a close game. And I believed the Steelers would win with a field goal. The question was whether the Pittsburgh defense could slow down the Bengals’ offense. And could Aaron Rodgers lead the offense and score enough points to keep pace.
You never know what former Steeler you’ll run into at a game. On the way to the gate, Mel Blount was taking photos with fans outside the stadium.
I spent the first half high up in the north end zone. It was very windy. During the pregame warmups, the Bengals’ Evan McPherson missed two straight kicks from the 30-yard line with the wind. It was swirling so bad with 40-mile-per-hour gusts that it was hard to predict the effect on the ball. Chris Boswell kicking against the wind toward me, hit one from the 40-yard line that landed short of the goal posts. Then he muffed a kick that was a line drive. Probably overpowering the kick. I imagined this would impact the passing too.
Early Scores, Then Punts
The Steelers took the opening kickoff and scored to go up 7-0. Jaylen Warren is elusive. He runs into the line with nothing open, then turns it into something. But then the Bengals march right down to tie the game. The defense had no answers as Tee Higgins catches a 28-yard TD. But after declining one penalty on Cam Heyward. Cincinnati erases the extra point to attempt a two-point conversion after officials penalized Yahya Black. The Steelers stop the attempt and it’s 7-6.
Then Corliss Waitman and Ryan Rehkow exchanged six punts. Until Pittsburgh managed a drive marred by five combined penalties that led to a Chris Boswell field goal to close the half with Steelers ahead 10-6. Darnell Washington had the crowd pumped as he destroyed would-be defenders.
New Quarterback and Defense
I relocated to east rotunda for the second half. I left my ticketed seat right at the halftime whistle. But the upper-concourse concession area was solidly packed. But after winding my way through a mass of people, the Great Hall was a little less congested. I made it to my spot on the rotunda right after Chase Brown ran 35 yards through the Steelers on the first play of the second half. But the Steelers held Cincinnati to a field goal to make the score 10-9. We were surprised to see Mason Rudolph come onto the field for the Steelers’ first possession of the second half. We didn’t realize Aaron Rodgers had been injured near end of the first half.
Rudolph sparked the offense. His decisive throws, hanging in the pocket, and occasional rollouts were crisper than Rodgers. Receivers got open, but Jaylen Warren hurt. A 30-yard completion to DK Metcalf was nullified by his push off. But then Rudolph connects with Darnell Washington, who bowls over defenders to get the first down on third and 17. Good opening drive that ate up clock and made it 13-9 after Boswell’s second field goal of the game.
The stadium erupted when Joe Flacco’s pass hung up in the wind. Kyle Dugger intercepted it and scored on a 73-yard pick-six with some good downfield blocking. The defense stepping up big.
The fourth quarter opened with Jalen Ramsey getting ejected after Ja’Marr Chase spit on him. The whole stadium chanting, “Refs, you suck,” reverberated. But Nick Herbig sacked Flacco and the Bengals were flagged for delay of game. Third and 22. They settle for a field goal. It’s 20-12, Steelers.
Then Mason Rudolph and Kenneth Gainwell lead a masterful, six-minute drive ending with Gainwell’s second TD to make it 27-12.
Renegade plays with 3:40 to play. On the very next play, Brandin Echols, who was in and out of game with dings, forces a fumble. James Pierre recovers and scores from 34 yards out to make it 34-12. Never a doubt.
Dive Deeper with Steelers Depot
For deeper game analysis, check these Steelers Depot staples:
Steelers’ Five Keys to Victory by Tom Mead
Steelers Versus Bengals Prediction by Alex Kozora
Recap: Steelers Versus Bengals by Jake Brockhoff
Steelers Versus Bengals Winners and Losers by Alex Kozora
Positional Grades Steelers Versus Bengals by Josh Carney
Tom’s Ten Takes on Steelers Versus Bengals by Tom Mead
Listen: Kozora Recap and Analysis of Steelers Versus Bengals by Alex Kozora
Stats of the Weird Steelers Versus Bengals by Alex Kozora
Conclusion
A pivotal game for the Steelers. The win restores confidence in the team’s prospects. The Steelers have a brutal three-game stretch coming up, but the players show resilience. We will have to see if Aaron Rodgers and Jaylen Warren are available after their respective injuries. Mason Rudolph and Kenneth Gainwell must pick up the slack. And we will have to see if Jalen Ramsey faces a suspension. Or whether the cameras showing Chase lied and did spit on Ramsey will mitigate his punishment.
Onto Chicago. Here we go.
Your Song Selection
A very exciting game to attend. A certain section of Steeler Nation believes the team should scrap its tradition of playing Renegade as a rally song. I believe most fans attending games love it. And for this game anyway, there was immediate return as the Steelers scored on defense right after it was played. I posted yesterday’s Renegade on X:
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