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Month: December 2024
5 Steelers surprises in Sunday’s win against the Bengals
Our SCU staff and contributors pick the “surprises” from the Pittsburgh Steelers’ latest matchup each week. Check out more below to see which plays and situations surprised us the most!
The Pittsburgh Steelers picked up their ninth win of the 2024 season with a 44-38 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. The victory gives the Steelers a 1.5-game lead in the AFC North over the Baltimore Ravens.
Here are some surprises from that game.
Russell Wilson’s Big Game
Russell Wilson tore into the Bengals’ defense for what was a career day, not only in the black and gold but in the veteran quarterback’s 13 years in the NFL.
Wilson’s 414 passing yards were his second-most in a game, trailing his 452 yards when he was a member of the Seahawks in October of 2017. His previous second-best game occurred in September of 2019, with 406 yards.
Wilson would also throw for three touchdowns, as the Steelers scored over 40 points for the first time since the 2018 season. (October 7th, 2018 against the Atlanta Falcons.) Not only were the Steelers’ 44 points impressive from that standpoint, but many sportsbooks and casinos, including Ontario’s top choice for real money games, had the over/under line set at 47 points. Pittsburgh almost reached that mark by themselves!
10 Different Receivers
While Wilson connected on three touchdown passes to George Pickens, Calvin Austin, and Pat Freiermuth, he would also spread the ball around plenty in this game.
Wilson connected with ten different receivers on the day, with each of the players below catching at least one pass from the quarterback:
- George Pickens
- Pat Freiermuth
- Jaylen Warren
- Najee Harris
- Van Jefferson
- Cordarrelle Patterson
- Calvin Austin
- Ben Skowronek
- MyCole Pruitt
- Darnell Washington
Penalties
This game featured a wild amount of penalties, including many that were not accepted! Of the accepted penalties, the Steelers were penalized nine times for 103 yards while the Bengals were tagged eleven times for 101 yards.
There were nine more penalties of which were not accepted but called during the game.
The major culprits appeared to be Steelers WR George Pickens and CB Joey Porter Jr.. Pickens was flagged four times while Porter drew six calls total.
The more shocking aspect of these calls was that George Pickens was dragged to the ground during the Steelers first offensive series, with the ball sailing to the Bengals for a pick-six and the first points of the game. Pickens was visibly upset with the no-call and drew the ire of the officials all game long, while Porter appeared to be in the crosshairs for the same reason, as minimal contact or uncatchable passes became penalties on the second-year pro.
Defensive Score
The Steelers would even out the non-call pick-six play later in the game when rookie linebacker Payton Wilson would scoop a loose ball from a Nick Herbig strip-sack and take it to the house.
At the time the game was starting to lean in the Steelers favor, as the Freiermuth touchdown catch put Pittsburgh up by ten, but Wilson’s big play would essentially secure a three-score lead with 11:06 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Joe Burrow was sacked four times in the game, with two leading to lost fumbles and another inopportune throw being tipped by Cameron Heyward and intercepted by Dante Jackson. The Steelers defense still relinquished 38 points, the most they’ve ceded in game this season, but were still able to force splash plays in big moments to secure the victory.
Fields’ Fake Handoff
The Bengals still made a game of it down to the wire, scoring with 2:39 left in the game to close the gap to 44-38.
All the Steelers had to do was get beyond the two-minute warning and eat the remaining clock, as Cincinnati had already burned all of their timeouts. In order to accomplish this, they would have to gain a first down on their final drive.
Two short Najee Harris runs would setup a 3rd-and-4 situation from the Bengals 40-yard line. It would appear everyone knew what might happen next, as QB Justin Fields entered the game for Russell Wilson and huddled his teammates.
After starting the first portion of the season in place of an injured Wilson, Fields had become a specialty player, often used to help spark the Steelers running game with his speed. You had to know that Fields was going to keep the ball to try and secure the first down – and the game – but what happened next faked everyone out.
While everyone guessed Fields would keep the ball, his fake handoff to Jaylen Warren was so crisp that by the time the Bengals figured out Warren didn’t have the football, it was too late. Fields slid past the first down marker, ensuring the Steelers could kneel down and run out the clock.
5 Steelers surprises in Sunday’s win against the Bengals appeared first on Steel City Underground.
How to watch the Steelers on Hard Knocks: In Season with the AFC North
The HBO series debuts on Tuesday, December 3
HBO will be debuting a very special in-season edition of Hard Knocks on Tuesday — “Hard Knocks: In Season with the AFC North” — featuring the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns.
This marks the first time that HBO Hard Knocks has ever featured an entire division before (in any rendition of the program, including training camp) and the first time that the Steelers will be featured as the only AFC North team yet to appear on the program. The program’s debut back in 2001 featured the Ravens, while the Bengals have been featured twice (2009, 2013) and the Browns once back in 2018.
Steelers fans, in particular, will want to tune into the program, as Pittsburgh is bound to be a frequent focus of the show, with all six of their matchups against fellow AFC North opponents scheduled following their Week 9 bye. They’re also arguably the most intriguing storyline to emerge in the NFL this season, let alone in the AFC North, between their change at QB, new OC Arthur Smith and growing skepticism that the team could manage a revival on offense after a troublesome run in the post-Ben Roethlisberger era.
Here’s a look at how to tune into the Steelers on Hard Knocks tonight (and every Tuesday heading into the 2025 playoffs).
How to watch Hard Knocks AFC North
Start date: Tuesday, December 3
Start time: 9 p.m. ET
TV channel: HBO
Live stream: Max with an HBO account
Those without an HBO plan can subscribe to a Max account for $9.99 per month with adds or $16.99 per month for an ad-free viewing experience. If you’re a student (…or have a student in the household with a college or university email address!… cough, cough), you’ll be eligible to subscribe to Max for just $4.99 per month.
If you’re not keen on adding yet another account to your long list of log-ins, Max does offer the ability to add the subscription through your accounts in the Amazon Appstore, Apple App Store, Google Play, Roku, Samsung TV and Verizon +play accounts.
Once you have a subscription, you’ll be able to watch using the Max app on mobile devices, tablets, desktop, gaming consoles (PS4, PS5, Xbox), or TVs. Click here for more info on the specific devices available for streaming.
Watch: Wilson fires dime to Freiermuth for touchdown
Steel City Underground will pick an exceptional play of the game as a highlight each week of the Pittsburgh Steelers 2024 NFL regular season. Stay tuned as we hand-select the very best from the Black and Gold!
On Sunday afternoon, the Pittsburgh Steelers visited Paycor Stadium to face the Cincinnati Bengals in an AFC North divisional battle. Although the Steelers offense had struggled to find the end zone in previous games, they were firing on all cylinders against the Bengals. After scoring three touchdowns in the first half of the game – the first time they’ve done so in the 2024 NFL regular season – they came out in the third quarter and went back to work, scoring a passing touchdown in their second offensive series of the second half.
On just six plays, the Steelers offense went 80 yards down the field to score. Starting at their own 20, due to the ball hitting the landing zone before veering through the left side of the end zone, the Steelers got help from the Bengals when they were caught with 12 defensive players on the field. On 1st & 10 at their 48, Russell Wilson was sacked for a loss of a yard.
Wilson shook off the hit and took the 2nd down snap out of shotgun, going no-huddle, and hit Ben Skowronek for a 23-yard gain. On 1st & 10 at the Cincinnati 30, Najee Harris carried the ball to the Cincinnati 25.
On 2nd & 5, still in the no-huddle offense, Wilson was pressured but was able to step up into the pocket to his right and get rid of the ball. Tight end Pat Freiermuth adjusted his route to settle between Bengals defenders to grab the dime of a pass, secure it, spin, and run into the end zone with four defensive backs around him for the touchdown.
MUUUUUUUTH TUDDIE‼️ @pat_fry5
📲 Stream on NFL+: https://t.co/COxKRnr6Mc pic.twitter.com/1WMsZcVSYa
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) December 1, 2024
With a successful PAT from Chris Boswell, the Steelers went up, 34-24, on the Bengals. Although Cincinnati would attempt a comeback, the Steelers never allowed them to get closer than six points from the final score of 44-38. The win gave Pittsburgh a secure lead in the AFC North race, especially when the Baltimore Ravens lost their NFL Week 13 game to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Watch: Wilson fires dime to Freiermuth for touchdown appeared first on Steel City Underground.
Steelers make another notch in the legacy belt in Week 13
Mr. “Never Had A Losing Season” means more now than it used to.
The Pittsburgh Steelers notched their ninth win of the 2024 NFL season in Week 13 with a 44-38 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. It was a big win — not just because of the ramifications of yet another divisional victory to further extend the gap between Pittsburgh and the trailing Baltimore Ravens — but also because of the mark it made on the legacy of the franchise.
Week 13’s win officially marked the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 21st consecutive season without a losing record, dating back to 2004 — Ben Roethlisberger’s rookie season when the black and gold went 15-1 just one year prior to winning Super Bowl XL.
They are now tied with the Dallas Cowboys for most consecutive seasons without a losing record in NFL history, with their 21-year run ranging between 1965 and 1985. Dallas won two Super Bowls in that span, having made the playoffs in 19 of those 21 seasons.
Another non-losing season, of course, means that HC Mike Tomlin has seen his own streak continue, with the third-most consecutive non-losing seasons in NFL history, only behind Bill Belichick (19 consecutive seasons, 2001-2019) and Cowboys HC Tom Landry, who led Dallas’ franchise to the aforementioned 21-year non-losing streak between 1965-1985.
Despite Tomlin’s success, he has never won NFL Head Coach of the Year. His current betting odds sit at +400, ranked second among coaches only behind Detroit Lions’ Dan Campbell (current favorite at +120) while being tied with Minnesota Vikings’ Kevin O’Connell.
NFL Playoff Picture: Steelers’ AFC North lead grows with win over Bengals in Week 13
Week 13 was a good one for the Steelers.
The Steelers got back in the win column in Week 13, securing a 44-38 win over the rival Cincinnati Bengals to advance to 9-3 on the season.
Pittsburgh’s win meant that it remains in first place in the AFC North, but some even better news came later for the Steelers: The Ravens fell to the Philadelphia Eagles, dropping Baltimore to 8-5 and giving the black and gold a one-and-a-half-game lead in the division.
By defeating Cincinnati, the Steelers also dropped the Bengals to 4-8 — the AFC’s No. 10 seed — and a mere 3% chance of making the postseason per NFL.com
The Steelers are still the AFC’s third seed, but the Chiefs and Bills remain ahead in the race for the conference’s No. 1 seed. The Chiefs’ dominance has begun to falter in recent weeks, but the Bills look stronger than ever following a Sunday Night Football win over the San Francisco 49ers.
Still, there’s plenty of football left in the regular season, including tough games against AFC contenders such as the Ravens and Chiefs remaining on the Steelers’ schedule.
The current AFC standings are listed below. Teams that would be in the playoffs if the season ended today are marked with an asterisk. Pittsburgh has already recorded wins over the current Nos. 5, 6, and 7 seeds this season.
AFC standings ahead of Week 14
- Kansas City Chiefs (11-1)* — Clinched
- Buffalo Bills (10-2)* — Clinched
- Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3)*
- Houston Texans (8-5)*
- Los Angeles Chargers (8-4)*
- Baltimore Ravens (8-5)*
- Denver Broncos (8-5)*
- Indianapolis Colts (6-7)
- Miami Dolphins (5-7)
- Cincinnati Bengals (4-8)
- Cleveland Browns (3-9)
- New York Jets (3-9)
- Tennessee Titans (3-9)
- New England Patriots (3-10) — Eliminated
- Jacksonville Jaguars (2-10)
- Las Vegas Raiders (2-10) — Eliminated
Currently, two teams (Chiefs, Bills) have clinched their spots in the 2024-25 NFL Playoffs. NFL Next Gen Stats gives the Steelers a 99% chance to make the playoffs (improved from 94% coming out of Week 12) and a 4% chance to still walk away with the No. 1 seed.
Steelers odds per FanDuel
To win the AFC North: -160
To make the playoffs: Odds unavailable
To win the AFC Championship: +1000
To win the Super Bowl: +2400
As for the immediate future, the Pittsburgh Steelers have opened up as 6.5-point home favorites over the Cleveland Browns in Week 14.
Takeaways: Steelers’ best performance tamed the Bengals in Week 13
Steel City Underground offers post-game takeaways for every 2024 Pittsburgh Steelers NFL regular season game, focusing on the black and gold, just for members of Steelers Nation.
On Sunday afternoon, at Paycor Stadium, the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers entered a shoot-out with the Cincinnati Bengals in a high scoring affair that saw the Steelers put their best performance, as a complete team, together for a decisive, statement-making, 44-38 win over the Bengals. We look at top takeaways from the Week 13, 2024 NFL regular season game and division rivalry.
Wilson deserves to be QB1
There is no arguing the fact that the Steelers offense looked completely different against the Bengals than it did against nearly every other team that Pittsburgh has faced this season. The difference-maker was the play of veteran quarterback Russell Wilson. Wilson’s performance against the Cleveland Browns in Week 12 looked good on paper, but didn’t translate well on the field. Against Cincinnati, a juggernaut of an offense, Wilson put together his second-best career performance and did it in black and gold. And he did it in a fashion that the Steelers haven’t seen on the field since Ben Roethlisberger put up 400 yards of passing in November 2018 against the Denver Broncos.
The recently-turned 36 year old completed 29-of–38 passes for 414 yards, 3 touchdowns, and earned a rating of 126.4. Wilson is a poised player, focused. Despite the pressure the Bengals threw at him, Wilson got rid of the ball in a more timely fashion, played smart, and adjusted based on the look Cincinnati’s defense put on the field. Wilson was able to complete passes to 10 different receiving targets and didn’t falter when the two teams ended up in a shootout as Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow started dishing, either.
“Russ, he prepares for the game. He’s always ready for those moments. Even when we used to play against Russ, Russ could dice it up with the best of them. Having a guy like that on our sideline now, he’s definitely a leader on that side of the ball.” – Cameron Heyward
For fans clamoring for the return of Justin Fields as QB1 over Wilson, this may have changed their minds a bit. Fields is competent, no doubt, but his role – as it stands now – is a perfect compliment for this offense. Wilson has earned, and deserves, that QB1 role.
Herbig is a star in the making
Ahead of the game, it was believed that Alex Highsmith might be back in the starting lineup opposite T.J. Watt at outside linebacker. Instead, due to Highsmith being less than 100 percent, Nick Herbig once again earned the start. Herbig has made the most of his time as a starter, earning two sacks. Against the Bengals, Herbig made a statement play that was needed. Herbig was able to strip Burrow of the ball in the fourth quarter – mirroring Watt’s similar play in the second quarter – that was scooped up by Payton Wilson and taken to the house for a defensive touchdown.
“(Watt is) a Hall of Famer, and I’m sure he leads the league since he’s been in the league of forcing fumbles. And I think that’s the culture that Coach Tomlin builds. These guys lay the foundation for guys like me, younger guys that are looking up to them. The chemistry we have in the room is unbelievable.” – Nick Herbig
Watt’s 32 forced fumbles since 2017 are the most in the league over that span, but Herbig is a star in the making for the Steelers, learning from the best in the business. This duo leads the NFL in strip-sacks.
AFC North football
This game was predicted to be a game of the week candidate across the league in Week 13, and it didn’t disappoint. The Steelers were able to get to Burrow and bring him down four times, while the Bengals were able to do the same to Wilson twice (Wilson gave himself up once). That speaks to the game plan that both teams had: limit the opposing offensive production.
“Obviously, AFC North football, especially on the road — if you want the ball to come through Pittsburgh, you have to win on the road, especially in the North. It feels great to get a win.” – T.J. Watt
Between the two teams there was 692 yards of passing offense and 203 yards of rushing offense. There were also a combined 204 penalty yards. The game was chippy, but it was also a showcase of some amazing talent from both teams. The Steelers won the turnover battle, but the Bengals special teams earned a blocked field goal. This game won’t be forgotten when the two teams next face each other this season in Week 18.
The Steelers will host the Browns at Acrisure Stadium in Week 14 looking to get revenge in that series.
Takeaways: Steelers’ best performance tamed the Bengals in Week 13 appeared first on Steel City Underground.
Steelers OC Arthur Smith Not Interested In North Carolina HC Job, Expected To Receive NFL HC Interest
North Carolina recently fired head coach Mack Brown, and the school’s process of finding his replacement is underway. Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith received a call about the vacant position. 
“Reality is [UNC] reached out on [a] preliminary call,” Smith said (via ESPN’s Brooke Pryor). “I appreciate it, love that place. But that’s not my focus. I mean I’ve got one of the best jobs in football right now. There’s a lot to be said too about [how you] can’t put a price on personal and professional happiness, which I have here.”
Smith spent his college career at UNC as a player (2001-05) and worked as a graduate assistant there to begin his coaching tenure. His experience leading a staff at the NFL level – with the Falcons between 2021 and ’23 – coupled with his connections to the school make him a logical candidate to replace Brown. As Smith noted, however, his focus is not currently on taking whatever head coaching gig presents itself.
“I’ve got an awesome job here,” the 42-year-old added. “[I] probably [have] a different mindset than I had five, four years ago where any head job, I probably would’ve walked there to take it. Now my perspective’s different, and when you got something good like I got here in Pittsburgh right now, family loves it here. I like the working environment, love being a Steeler.”
In a rare move given their organizational history, the Steelers made an in-season offensive coordinator change last year with Matt Canada being dismissed. Smith was brought in as his full-time replacement after drawing interest from the Jets. New York’s offer came with an uncertain role working alongside then-OC Nathaniel Hackett, though, and his preference was to take the Steelers gig. So far, that position has included time with both Justin Fields and Russell Wilson at quarterback.
Once Wilson recovered from his calf injury, he took over QB1 duties. That move has not led to a major uptick in passing efficiency of red zone success, but Pittsburgh leads the league in time of possession. The team also has the eighth-ranked rushing attack, something which comes as no surprise given Smith’s background and his success in that regard during his Titans OC stint.
Smith’s future beyond the current season is of course in the air given the opportunities which may present themselves to him during the winter. Indeed, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com hears that Smith is likely to receive consideration for NFL head coaching opportunities during the upcoming cycle as a result of the winning efforts he has been able to coax out of Wilson.
SCU Week in Review – December 1st
In case you missed it (or anything) the SCU Week in Review recaps all articles, videos, posts and more, shared via Steel City Underground’s various platforms throughout the week.
Bengals pregame and more
Joe and Brian discuss how Sunday’s game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals is critical for both teams.
For the Bengals, it could mean being mathematically eliminated from playoff contention with a month’s worth of games still to be played. For the Steelers, they will need to maintain ground over the Baltimore Ravens for the lead in the AFC North and a potential home playoff game.
Hear the hosts’ thoughts on these topics, the keys to the game, and a look back at some of the controversy surrounding the loss to the Cleveland Browns on Thursday Night Football.
View the video below on YouTube or visit our podcast page to find it on all popular audio platforms.
Christina Rivers takes you through her Scouting Report and Steelers to Watch in this week’s features.
Joe takes you through everything you need to know about the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers game this Sunday, including team leaders, rankings, where and how to watch or listen to the game, and more, in the Steelers Weekly Cheat Sheet.
Steelers GameDay Cheat Sheet: Week 13 vs. the Cincinnati Bengals
Last Week’s Plays of the Game
SCU Week in Review – December 1st appeared first on Steel City Underground.