Steelers hold on late because Boyd didn’t, move to 2-0

Posted by Zac Jackson on September 18, 2016, 4:46 PM EDT
AP

The Steelers turned in a dominating defensive effort for three-plus quarters, then held on late to preserve a 24-16 win over the Bengals Sunday.

Ben Roethlisberger threw three touchdown passes, but the Steelers couldn’t exhale until Bengals rookie wide receiver Tyler Boyd fumbled in the final two minutes with the Bengals in Steelers territory. Cornerback Robert Golden recovered, and the Steelers moved to 2-0.

The Bengals didn’t get in the end zone until the final seven minutes, when Andy Dalton hit Giovani Bernard on a 25-yard touchdown pass. The Bengals got a stop and got the ball back, and they’d moved inside the Steelers’ 40 when Boyd fumbled with James Harrison closing quickly.

Dalton was 31-of-54 passing for 366 yards. Roethlisberger was 19-of-37 passing for 259 yards. He was intercepted twice, and his three touchdowns went to three different receivers.

The Bengals (1-1) play their first home game next week, hosting the Broncos. The Steelers play at the Eagles.

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94 responses to “Steelers hold on late because Boyd didn’t, move to 2-0”

  2. I’m not saying the Bengals would have won but they at least deserved the right to tie it but I forgot the Steelers do no wrong. I’m glad the game was clean and I hope the next one is but I hope the officiating is not as bad as it was today. Awful

  4. I feel absolutely filthy writing this, but Roethlisberger has to be the lead in any early MVP type stuff.

  8. This game was rigged. Boyd didn’t fumble. His knee was down. Pouncey false start that was called offsides. Bengals td that was called incomplete. Multiple holds by the steelers offensive line. Blatant late hit by Mike Mitchell that wasn’t a personal foul. This is like wrestling. The most popular teams get all the calls.

  10. Refs?
    AJ Green PI call that was uncatchable led to a scoring drive.
    AB got mugged by Pac man on a 3rd down, no call.
    Shazier gets tackled right in front of a red, no holding call.
    Shut up, Bungals!

  13. The media is in full ignore the obvious mode (Refs and League once again bailing Steelers out against AFCN opponent), it’s the reason why the use of their Coaches, Refs etc continue. Until they are called out on it and the league is embarrassed by it, it’ll continue.

  14. Seriously? No mention of the fact Boyd didn`t fumble? His knee was clearly down before the ball came out.The Steelers constantly being given those calls in the series is exactly why there is so much bad blood.The Steelers outplayed them and deserved to win but the Bengals deserve fair officiating and the chance to pull out games even if they were out played.
    There was no excuse for missing that call on replay and no way we would get that call against the Steelers.
    Constantly being given calls they don`t deserve is why while i respect their accomplishments as much as other successful franchises.

  17. Only certain teams are going to win because the refs will make sure of it. The Packers and Steelers games are the latest examples of that. I’m pretty sick of the NFL with their bias and political crap.

  18. Any objective person will tell you Boyd’s knee was down. Bengals were lucky to be in the game with the way the run game was “performing”, but can’t help but feel the Bengals got hosed at the end. They had serious momentum going.

  20. And the Steelers aren’t even full strength. And who wouldn’t want to have their schedule! Opening against Washington and then facing a tougher team at home is as good as it gets. Still, good for Pittsburg!

  21. nothing matters to me until January….but, that was not a fumble, the uzoma out of bounds catch was apparently a knee down so there should have been 4 more pts on the board. Again, none of it matters until January, but it sure felt like an awful job by the officials. They’ll meet again, no biggie.

    Also to the guy complaining about Mike Mitchell, he is a human cannonball, he launches himself at every defenseless player. It’s like the exact definition of lanching that players aren’t allowed to do. I can’t believe he’s not been suspended yet, so many times he was flying in after a player went down, just barely missing the opportunity to decapitate someone.

  23. Score should’ve been higher but the refs didn’t call PI when PacMan was Brown down by his jersey.

    Not to mention the no-calls as the Bengals held Shazier.

    There are missed call both ways, so don’t be so biased.

  25. Ah, the Bungles…Note to all Bungle fans, Shut Up until you win something. A playoff game, a meaningful regular season game, anything before you talk smack. With that said, let the whining begin…..

  27. Whew, that was a tougher game than the final score indicated. I don’t think it quite lived up to the pregame hype but I’ll take it. All the rain didn’t help anyone, the players were slipping and sliding all over the place, it got pretty sloppy at times. I’m proud of my team though! In the end, they earned this one.

    Go Steelers!

  28. Yes, bengals fans will complain. For all the bad calls both ways (and holy hell there were a ton, Pete morelli needs to hang it up), that last one was easily the most important and the one that had the benefit of replay. To blow that took cognitive dissonance.

  29. I have no hard feelings toward steelers fans, but yet again, we lose because of the refs. At least this time we were outplayed the entire game. Still a lot of no calls for the steelers (especially all the clear holds that weren’t called by the steelers offense). TD was also taken from us but imbalance the bengals staff for not challenging that. I was screaming at my TV that it was a TD. Even if the Boyd “fumble” was called correctly, we obviously would have still needed to get a TD and a 2 point conversation, which would have been hard against the steelers defense, but I would have rathered lost to a failed 4th down conversation or a no-good 2-point attempt than the refs, yet again

  31. Just like all the no-calls the Steelers didn’t get cause AB got mugged. Ryan Shazier get held constantly too. But blame the refs for 3 redzone visits for 3 FGs.

  32. Wow! Any othr team winning this game and Pittsburgh football talk is talking about a blown call by the refs. Unbelievable

  34. I understand where people are coming from with the Boyd fumble, I agree I would say he was probably down. But there was no indisputable evidence. They had to stick with the call on the field.

    If you have problems with the TD by Uzomah that was ruled incomplete, take it up with Marvin Lewis. It was a close call. He should have challenged.

    The refs really swallowed the whistles for most of the game. I think Pacman got away with being very handsy downfield. But I agree the refs missed a ton of blatant holdings on the Steelers O-line. Many of those were inexcusable

  35. About right…. 10% of Steeler fan is acting classy in victory. The offsides on the clear false start against Pouncey on 3rd and short, and the fumble that wasn’t were too much to overcome. Bengals better start running the ball.

  36. Steelers fans are so ugly. Wish they wouldn’t have shown the crowd, it made me lose my appetite.

  37. No, Boyd’s knee was NOT down by the way. There was one camera angle that showed that conclusively. At best there was not enough evidence to overturn the call on the field. I guess Bengals fans wouldn’t be Bengals fans if they didn’t cry and snivel every game.

    I’m glad the game itself was clean though. It was a nice treat after that brutal playoff game. The refs didn’t even have to separate them or call any personal fouls. Good job by both teams on that.

    Go Steelers!

  38. Rooney owns NFL/Goodell! Total corruption.
    Steelers OL held on every play and ball came out a full second after Boyd’s knee hit the ground. At least the losers who inhabit Pitt don’t have to feel like losers on Sunday for next 3 months. Here we go Steelers, here we go!!!!

  40. There are finally signs of this defense starting to jell together. It’s still gonna take some time, especially with the young secondary, but at least they’re not a liability anymore. Ryan Shazier is something special.

  41. Other than a crown of the helmet hit on Ben I would have to say the refs aided my team the steelers. Boyd was definitely down, but hey it is what it is. Bungal fans need not go overboard with the whining because they will get some calls in their next game. They had the chances but settled for field goals.

  42. Knee was down. I’m not a fan of either team but I do find it weird the amount of questionable calls/no calls that go Pittsburgh’s way every time they play. It’s ridiculous.

  44. classyjacklambert says:
    Sep 18, 2016 4:56 PM

    Bengals fans crying as usual. None of them whining about how many times Antonio Brown was mugged during the game though… That’s weird
    ————————————————————
    No we`re not talking about that, the constant holding by your O-Line or any of the other stuff that happens in every single NFL game.We`re talking about a obvious call that went to the NFL officiating hub and was given to the Steelers as usual. If the Steelers are as good as everybody keeps telling me they are they wouldn`t need help but now we don`t know who would`ve won because they got their help again.They got every big call there way again.Between the officiating and the suspensions NFL games are so tainted it`s not worth watching.I guess that explains the ratings decline.

  45. Nofoolnodrool says:
    Sep 18, 2016 5:16 PM
    Other than a crown of the helmet hit on Ben I would have to say the refs aided my team the steelers. Boyd was definitely down, but hey it is what it is. Bungal fans need not go overboard with the whining because they will get some calls in their next game. They had the chances but settled for field goals.

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  46. The level of favoritism by the refs to the Steelers has become disgusting. Also – the fact that this article pays no mind to the fact that Boyd’s knee was indisputably down and there was no rebuttal is disturbing as well. Also – Uzomah’s knee was down on his non-TD TD but unless it’s Bryant juggaling through his bum as he goes out of bounds I guess we shall just not call those. Bengals didn’t win this game by any stretch – but Steelers shouldn’t have won again. Media and the NFL “officiating” crew are biased, straight up.

  47. So many missed PI calls on Cincy D. Steelers would have ran away with this game if it was called better.

  48. Funny, since his brilliant pick of the Skins over the Steelers because of poor defense and untested rookies, the mouth of the Cheaties is silent……very sweet. TedMurph stay retired the silence is priceless.

  49. Just one time I’d like to come here and see one Bengals fan come here and own it.

    Last year’s playoff came was totally in the bag until the ball wasn’t taken care of. But the only thing they want to talk about is Porter being on the field.

    As far as today, take care of the ball and you at least have a remote chance to tie with a TD and 2-pt conversion. But, it’s all the refs fault.

    At some point, you’d think think one astute Bengals fan would say “we need to protect the ball better in critical situations”, but when you’re only capable of criticizing everyone but your team, it’s not gonna happen.

  50. pbrady89 says:
    Sep 18, 2016 5:12 PM

    I understand where people are coming from with the Boyd fumble, I agree I would say he was probably down. But there was no indisputable evidence. They had to stick with the call on the field.
    ————————————————————
    I`m not sure why you need more than that?The knee was clearly down before the defenders leg hit the ball.
    The ball came out after the contact from the leg.
    We`ll see the national reaction tomorrow but i`m betting only the Refs,Goodell & Steeler fans didn`t see that as no fumble and anytime your on the side of the refs and Goodell your probably wrong.

  51. I have a question, do you have to win multiple superbowls in order to get the help from the refs or does the help from the refs come first and then you win your multiple super bowls? Packers, Patriots, Steelers, Broncos. . . I complain and whine because I dont know what it’s like to get help from the refs, nor does my team have any super bowl wins.

  52. jr4real says:
    Sep 18, 2016 5:26 PM

    So many missed PI calls on Cincy D. Steelers would have ran away with this game if it was called better.
    ————————————————————
    Once again we can argue PI on our secondary or holding on your O-Line every game.We don`t know how all those judgement calls being called right in a game would look because it`s never happened in the history of the NFL.That`s different than butchering a replay call.If you lost a game over the exact same play you`d be mad too because the outcome should be decided by the players and we didn`t get to see the true end of a fair game.If you think your the better team that shouldn`t bother you.

  54. Lol @mborz….. did you forget to watch the playoff game last year? Or the game today? Cause anyone in their right minds would agree with any bengals fans that are “whining”, kind of like the people who are commenting in this article and are claiming they are impartial to either team

  55. bengalsfan2079 says:
    Sep 18, 2016 4:48 PM
    I’m not saying the Bengals would have won but they at least deserved the right to tie it but I forgot the Steelers do no wrong.

    *******************************************************************************

    You forget the holding on Shazier, pass interference against Brown, or various other non-calls that would’ve gone against the Bengals? The bad officiating went both ways. Bengals set themselves up for that ending by getting nothing but FGs until the 4th quarter and being down the entire game.

  56. amazing the nfl still can’t get a catch right. he had the ball and he his knee was down before the ball came out, which means no fumble. does not mean the bengals win but it would have given them a shot had they got the call right. when people at home can watch and clearly see that his knee was down but whoever the league has reviewing the plays can’t something is wrong and needs to be fixed.

  57. The NFL does not want the Bengals star to ever shine as bright as the steelers. It will continue to happen unless management steps up and officially challenges the NFL. They may have to suffer some fines in the meantime but it’s almost getting to the point where the organization officially can’t keep quiet. It’s every single game now.

  61. I didn’t known the new whine capital was in Cincinnati I always thought it was Napa Valley. Bengal fans grab a snickers and chill,out. They missed a crown of the helmet hit on Ben and Brown got mugged as usual…good teams rise above the refs leaving no room for them to affect the game….cry if you need to but come guys grow up you look so small crying all the time.

  62. Stop trying to explain the bad Boyle call.

    Disagreeing with Steeler fans is like disagreeing with Trump . . . they hit you with too many dubious claims to even fact check, while attacking you and everyone that ever knew you as Losers.

  63. Bengals scored a touchdown earlier in the game but Marvin Lewis did not challenge!!!

    Boyd did NOT fumble the ball!!!
    REALLY BAD CALL BY PETE MORELLI!!!

  64. Pictures are all over the net now. Expect yet another apology letter to the Bengals this week. Just like after the playoff game. #HeightenedAwareness

  66. Totally the refs fault that the Bengals couldn’t muster more than FGs until the 4th quarter. Surely it must be a conspiracy against the most mediocre team in the history of the NFL.

  67. Hilarious with all the crying on here. The refs are always terrible, no exception today. The terrible calls were close to even or maybe even in the Bengals favor. But it is easier to cry or wear your tinfoil hat than admit your team craps the bed in every big game.

  68. Boyd’s knee looked down to me with possession, bad job by refs. I call it like I see ’em.

    But hey, AB got mugged in the end zone by the LB and no call there. The refs were off their game, all game. Bottom line though, the Bungs got thoroughly outplayed and were lucky to be in it at the end.

  69. Back in the 2002 NBA playoffs when Sacremento got screwed in game 6 was the very last NBA game I ever watched. Today the NFL has compelled me to do the same. I was holding out hope but whenever you can’t even get the replay call right it’s time to move on.

  70. The salty tears of Cincy fans are carried over from last year. It’s wonderful! The Steelers have absolutely no fear of the Bungles. It was a relatively easy victory. The toughest opponent was the rain.

  71. I cringed when I saw the replay. I knew how Bungals fans were going to moan… face it though, guys, you got outdone today.

    Oh and speaking of crybabies, paging Dr. Rustbelt. Paging Dr. Rustbelt.

  72. NFL is rigged! Everyone knows that the Bengals should have won that game! They had the Steelers right where they wanted them when Pit was up 24-9. The Bengals played a superior game all day and were definitely gonna score a touchdown and a two point conversion to tie the game. They would have easily won the game in overtime since they are so awesome. Those stupid refs had to blow the game for us when were were doing everything right!

    Signed,
    Idiot in denial (or typical Bengals fan)

  74. Yeah, THE REFS ARE TO BLAME said the loser Bungles fans who support a team that can’t win big games.

    There were plenty of calls that went the Bungles’ way but weren’t called – PLENTY.

    If you take off your orange and black glasses you’d see that your team has no running game

  76. We can all complain about various calls. However, when there is a review and an opportunity to slow down the action and you still get it wrong, there is no excuse. There is beyond conclusive evidence that Boyd’s leg was down. It becomes even more suspicious when national (NFL) media ignores it. Thanks to the internet it will become brought to the forefront by non-NFL sanctioned media, i.e. ESPN.

  77. WHO DEY???? Why dey’s the team that can’t beat the Steelers……sorry, couldn’t resist….lol. But OK bad officiating on both side of the ball – unfortunately that seems to be the norm in all games these days. But hindsight is 20-20. Much easier to get it right when you see replays over and over again. But much less obvious in real time. Next game in Cincinnasti will be another thriller !

  78. The better team won today. And yes, I can admit the fumble was s bad call, like many bad calls for both sides today. With the fumble, unfortunately there was no replay angle to show the ball wasn’t moving when he knew was down. Sure, logic says his knee was down when Harrison came in and jarred it loose, but there was no visual evidence that showed that to overturn the call on the field.

  79. Penalties are missed all the time, it’s silly to cry about them. Missing an obvious non fumble, even with replay is inexcusable. Missing the uzoma td is inexcusable, but Marvin not challenging shows how incompetent his staff can be. The steelers won, they deserved to win. The refs took away the chance to tie it, but it was just a chance, not a guarantee. Bengals stayed in the game and had a shot, good enough. It’s only week 2, the steelers didn’t look like they were so much better that it spells doom.

  80. steelcurtainn says:
    Sep 18, 2016 7:44 PM
    Steelers own the bungles. Accept it.

    _________

    Actually I think the Steelers own the officials.

  81. The whining is really amazing. Bengals only ever lose because of refs and Steelers only ever win because of refs. Gimme a break. Steelers jumped out 17-6 and 24-9 by beating the Bengals on both sides of the ball. Refs do not get the benefit of the 15 slo-mo replays from 10 different angles. Its a bang bang play. You people are 100% guaranteed that the Bengals would have scored and tied. Steelers scored 3 red zone TDs and the Bengals settled for 3 FGs. There’s the game.

  84. I want to talk about 2 touchdowns in 2 games. The D is steadily improving. One more game, and they will be at full strength with the return of Bell, and Wheaton. Too many weapons, and a veteran O-line equals problems for any team they face. CJ who??? Hahahaha, I’ll take # 50 all day!

  85. As a Bengal fan, I certainly was shocked by that non reversal on the Boyd fumble, and since I watched the game in a bar without volume I am curious as to what the two (impartial?) announcers, Eagle and Fouts were saying while the play was being reviewed. That said, the bigger Bengal concerns going forward are a total lack of a running game, some shaky tight end play (hurry back Eifert) and horrendous tackling. Williams got more yards today after first being touched than before contact and Ben should have been on the ground 4-5 times only to get out of the grasp to either complete a pass or run for some yardage. The better team won today, but it would not be a surprise if there were two more meetings before this season is over.

  86. Mitchell should be banned – he consistently launches at defenseless players and never gets called. Bengals didn’t deserve to win – but as many posts point out it is sickening the way the league officiates Pittsburgh games. A touchdown was called out of bounds, fumble after Boyd was clearly down and more holding than I have ever seen in one game. Almost comical that it was as close as it was.

  87. Fire Todd Haley. Bring back Chan Gailey ’cause he RAN THE BALL and ran TRICK PLAYS with Slash Stewart

  88. Typical bengals fan being irrational. The first missed TD could have been challenged by the bengals. Every team has a review team to check for potential challenges. The last call (missed fumble) was bad, but the bengals were still 30 yards out and needed a TD plus a 2 pt conversion. Brown was held all game. Stop bitching. You cant seriously expect to win a game in which you didn’t score a td for the first three quarters.

  89. Nothing will change with the officiating until the NFL starts holding them accountable. Coaches cannot say a word about the officials without facing a fine. The NFL needs to make all the officials full-time employees. It should be their job not their hobby.

  90. sergeant2 says:
    Sep 18, 2016 8:52 PM
    The Steelers won this battle, but the war isn’t over. Go Bengals! Who Dey!
    ——————————————–

    Finally some perspective. It’s Week 2. Geez, nothing has been decided today.

  92. It takes a real lowlife to brag about that win yesterday. But it’s Pittsburgh fans. Why would anyone expect anything but lowlifes?

  93. It also takes a real low life to always make excuses,but it’s just Bengal fans.why would we expect anything different from that crappy organization ?

  94. Steel dominance says, mmm more yummy Bengal tears,yeah and from the looks of things there are plenty of them.Keep crying like that and they will drown in their own misery.

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