The Bengals had a collection of unlikely heroes lead the way in their 18-12 victory over the Steelers.
One of those Bengals was DT Jonathan Fanene, who had two sacks, two tackles for losses and two quarterback hits on Sunday.
Bengals DE Frostee Rucker got some ribbing from teammates for getting tackled by Steelers RB Mewelde Moore, but his interception was a key play for the defense.
Said S Chris Crocker, “We can be very good if we don’t shoot ourselves in the foot. We just have to remember what people were saying before the season about the Bengals.”
John Clayton of ESPN thinks the Bengals victory is a sign of the team’s newfound maturity.
The Steelers were upset that their poor kickoff coverage led to Bengals RB Bernard Scott scoring the only touchdown of the game.
Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger had one of his worst games, finishing with 174 yards passing and a 51.5 passer rating.
KR Stefan Logan bobbled a kick in the end zone in the third quarter and the Steelers replaced him with WR Mike Wallace.
Steelers S Ryan Clark said the defense played solid, but they weren’t able to force a turnover and give their offense a short field.
Said Steelers T Max Starks, “I felt like we beat ourselves in a lot of instances, but I give credit to them because they played a great game and they stuck to their game plan.”
For more on the Bengals and Steelers, Mike Florio has the full Morning Aftermath right here.