- Joe Flacco was at his best in the Bengals' upset win: The 40-year-old outdueled his 41-year-old counterpart, Aaron Rodgers, and reignited Cincinnati's playoff hopes.
- The Bengals' ground game finally got going: Chase Brown and Samaje Perine frequently picked up chunk gains — a stark improvement from what was the league's least efficient rushing attack.
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Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes
The Cincinnati Bengals upset the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday Night, winning 33-31 to stay afloat for a potential playoff push.
Game Summary
According to the PFF noise-canceled score metric, the Bengals were indeed the better team and moved the ball more efficiently. The Steelers were highly efficient on third down and at converting opportunities in scoring range.
Passing Summary
Neither defense could stop the opposing passing game, but the Bengals capitalized on two crucial interceptions.
Receiving Summary
Ja'Marr Chase’s 22 targets are, by far, the most in a single game this season, edging out his 17 targets in Week 2 against the Jaguars. Next to Chase’s 161 receiving yards, there was still room for Tee Higgins to turn nine targets into almost 100 yards.
It is rare for a team to hand more than half of its targets to tight ends in a game, but the Steelers did so, giving Jonnu Smith, Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington ample opportunities to contribute.
Rushing Summary
The Bengals fielded one of the least efficient rushing attacks in the league up to this game, so it’s concerning for the Steelers' defense that it couldn’t stop Cincinnati's ground game.
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