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Steel City Underground presents “Plays of the Year” featuring the top runs, catches, hits, and everything else in between from the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2024 season.
Due to the way the NFL structured the Pittsburgh Steelers 2024 schedule, the team would not play any AFC North opponents before Week 11. Following Week 11, it was an onslaught of division rivals through the following four weeks as the Steelers hosted the Baltimore Ravens first in Week 11, and would then visit the Cincinnati Bengals, sandwiched between two games against the Cleveland Browns.
It would be the Week 13 game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals that got interesting, especially in the second half. The early December weather made for a chilly event, as the awkward stadium design allowed for whipping winds to blow off the Ohio River while the football field lighting design at Paycor Stadium caused trouble yet again, with the middle deck ribbon going out at times and displaying the wrong game clock at others.
Despite these shortcomings, the Steelers were ahead by ten points in the waning moments of the third quarter. That’s when Bengals QB Joe Burrow threw a pass that was picked off by Steelers CB Donte Jackson. Disappointingly, Pittsburgh’s offense wasn’t able to convert on the turnover and was forced to punt the ball back to the Bengals.
Then, two playmakers on the Steelers’ defense made a statement.
The Bengals started their offensive series at their 11-yard line thanks to a good punt by Corliss Waitman. From the shotgun, Burrow completed two short passes; on the second to Tee Higgins, Joey Porter Jr. was called for defensive pass interference. On 1st & 10 from their 27-yard line, the Bengals chose to run, and then Burrow threw another short pass that was brought back due to an illegal formation penalty.
On 3rd & 8 at the Cincinnati 29, Burrow was looking for an opportunity to get a strike to convert the down when Nick Herbig, playing at right outside linebacker in place of an injured Alex Highsmith, got off his blocker. As T.J. Watt applied pressure from the left, Herbig was able to stretch out his right arm and strip Burrow as he made the sack. T
he ball, loose on the turf, was scooped up by rookie linebacker Payton Wilson and ran to the end zone for a defensive touchdown.
Nick Herbig —> Payton Wilson: Strip, Scoop, Score
#HereWeGo https://t.co/lQJ9DeLEI9
— Christina Rivers (@3Rivers_Writer) December 1, 2024
The score would give the Steelers a sizeable advantage in the shootout, going up 41-24 with a little over 11 minutes remaining in the game. Yet, the Bengals would score two more touchdowns in a frantic comeback attempt.
However, the Steelers were able to earn the team win with some smart gamesmanship of their own after securing an attempted onside kick. Justin Fields, on an obvious keeper play, went untouched for a seven-yard run that earned a first down conversion, sealing the victory.
The Steelers knelt down for two plays to run out the game clock and walked away with a victory, 44-38. They would improve 9-3 on the season, retaining a lead over the Baltimore Ravens for the AFC North’s top spot as the scheduled dwindled down to five games remaining.
Plays of the Year: Herbig strip leads to Wilson scoop and score appeared first on Steel City Underground.