After just four carries for 22 yards in his debut against the Chicago Bears last week, Giovani Bernard came through big for the Cincinnati Bengals offense against the Pittsburgh Steelers Monday night.
Bernard made the most of limited touches against the Steelers in scoring two touchdowns as the Bengals earned a 20-10 victory over their AFC North rival. The first running back selected in the 2013 draft, Bernard carried eight times for 38 yards and a touchdown and added a 27-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter to break a 10-10 halftime tie.
BenJarvus Green-Ellis still took the majority of the carries for Cincinnati with 75 yards on 22 carries for the Bengals. Andy Dalton was 25 of 45 for 280 yards and a touchdown.
Mike Nugent added a 25-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to extend the lead and a costly turnover ended the Steelers chances. With the Steelers nearing the Bengals’ redzone, Ben Roethlisberger’s pass deflected off Jericho Cotchery and was picked off by Reggie Nelson with five minutes left to play in the game.
With the loss, the Steelers fall to 0-2 on the year. It’s the first time they’ve dropped their first two games of the season since 2002. A battered stable of running backs couldn’t get anything going for the Steelers as they rushed for just 44 yards on the night. Roethlisberger finished 20 of 37 for 251 yards with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Derek Moye and the interception by Nelson.