Steelers Edge Out Bengals at Paycor Stadium in Season Opener
In a closely contested season opener at Paycor Stadium, the Pittsburgh Steelers emerged victorious over the Cincinnati Bengals with a score of 23-20. The Steelers now hold a 9-8 record, while the Bengals stand at 12-4.
The Pittsburgh Steelers showcased their defensive might by accumulating seven sacks and forcing nine tackles for loss against the Cincinnati Bengals. The defense was relentless, assisting on 29 occasions and delivering eleven quarterback hits which contributed to their dominant performance. Notably, four interceptions were made by the Steelers' defense, one of which was returned for a touchdown, highlighting their opportunistic play.
On special teams, the punting unit for Pittsburgh proved effective as they managed an average of 49 yards across eight attempts with one landing inside the 20-yard line. Their longest punt traveled an impressive distance of 60 yards. The field goal unit also had a productive day with three successful attempts out of four; their longest successful field goal stretched to 53 yards.
Offensively, Pittsburgh's passing game managed to accumulate 194 yards through the air with an average gain per play standing at roughly five yards. Despite being sacked once and facing ten blitzes from Cincinnati's defense, they completed over half of their pass attempts and secured eight first downs via passing plays. One touchdown pass was recorded during this contest.
The rushing attack added another dimension to Pittsburgh's offense as they gained a total of 75 yards on ground efforts with an average close to three-and-a-half yards per carry over twenty-two attempts. Although no touchdowns were scored through rushing plays, four first downs were achieved by this method.
As for penalties throughout the game, there were eight instances costing them fifty-nine total penalty yards but also providing five first downs in favor of Pittsburgh.
Turning attention towards next week's matchup: The upcoming home game for the Pittsburgh Steelers is scheduled against New England Patriots at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh on September 18th at noon local time (5 PM GMT). Fans eager to catch this encounter can tune into CBS where it will be broadcasted live from Acrisure Stadium.