A heavy downpour started late in the second quarter. Maybe that’s what the Steelers needed to get going.
Or maybe it was falling behind 17-0.
The Bengals dominated the first half, but the Steelers got a field goal on the final play before intermission to avoid being shut out. Cincinnati leads 17-3.
Cincinnati gained 253 yards and held the Steelers to 126, with 33 of that coming on a short pass to Le’Veon Bell with 11 seconds remaining in the half. A 38-yard pass interference penalty on Bengals cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick, who let Antonio Brown slip by him, allowed Chris Boswell to kick a 30-yard field goal.
Otherwise, it was all Bengals.
Andy Dalton threw touchdown passes of 8 and 15 yards to A.J. Green, completing 16 of 23 passes for 123 yards. Green has seven catches for 77 yards.
Ben Roethlisberger has completed 8 of 16 passes for 109 yards with an interception. Brown caught three passes for 41 yards. Bell had seven carries for 25 yards.
The half, of course, was overshadowed by the injury to Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier, who left in an ambulance with a back injury. The team has released no information on his condition.
The Bengals lost running back Joe Mixon (shoulder/concussion) and cornerback Adam Jones (groin).