Week 17 Game Recap: Pittsburgh Steelers 23, Cincinnati Bengals 17

What you need to know

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers played spoiler as they took out the Bengals and their playoff hopes. QB Ben Roethlisberger hit rookie WR Santonio Holmes on a slant and Holmes was off to the races for the game-winning 67 yard touchdown in overtime, ending Cincinnati’s season. The Steelers ended their disappointing season with an 8-8 record and could only take satisfaction in dragging down the Bengals, also 8-8, with them into mediocrity.

The Steelers played a solid ball control offense and held the ball for over 40 minutes in four quarters, plus 1:33 of overtime play. They out-gained the Bengals 482-295 in total yards, including 207 yards rushing compared to 44 by Cincinnati. RB Willie Parker ended his season on another high note. After being named team Most Valuable Player last week, Parker scored two touchdowns to set a new team record for most TDs in a season (16). Parker had 134 yards on 37 carries and two goal line carries for touchdowns.

Roethlisberger threw for 280 yards and capped it off with his blitz read and a slant pass to Holmes. He completed three passes for 66 yards on their final possession in the fourth quarter leading Pittsburgh to a game-tying field goal, forcing the extra period. He finished 19-of-28 and threw one interception on a bomb to Holmes in the first quarter. Holmes’ 67 yard touchdown catch gave him a season and career best 124 yards on the day on four receptions. WR Hines Ward led the team with five receptions and had 51 yards, plus two rushes for 30 yards.

The Steelers’ defense smothered RB Rudi Johnson and held him to 47 yards, including just 11 in the first half. They did not allow the Bengals to hit pay dirt until midway through the fourth quarter. Their only blemish was it’s knack for giving up the big play, which they did three times to WR Chris Henry, the second of which was a pass interference penalty to set up the go-ahead touchdown with 2:47 left in regulation. The third time was a 47 yard pass to Henry to the Steelers’ 20 with 23 ticks left, but PK Shayne Graham missed a game winning 39 yard field goal.

Cincinnati Bengals

Through the first three quarters, the Bengals looked more Bungal-like than a team needing a victory for a chance to go the playoffs. They were flagged on the opening kickoff for unnecessary roughness and had to call a timeout for too many players on the field on their opening drive. QB Carson Palmer later took a knee on what he thought was an offside penalty on Pittsburgh, but instead was credited with a two yard loss. And the offensive line was flagged four times for false start, twice in a row late in the first half forcing Cincinnati to kick a field goal, rather than have a chance at a touchdown.

Cincinnati picked up the pace in the second half. After gaining just seven first downs through three quarters, Palmer engineered three drives and eight first downs in the fourth quarter. He had just 84 yards passing in the first half but strung together two consecutive touchdown drives in the fourth quarter, including a 66 yard touchdown pass to WR Chris Henry followed by a six yard touchdown pass to TE Tony Stewart to take a 17-14 lead with 2:47 left. He also hit Henry on a 47 yard bomb to the Steelers’ 20 yard line, but a missed field goal ruined their scoring chance, and eventually their season.

Palmer had 251 yards and two touchdown passes, with no interceptions. Henry led the way with 124 yards. He and three others, WR Chad Johnson, WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh, and RB Kenny Watson all had four receptions. RB Rudi Johnson struggled with just 47 yards on 13 carries, but contributed more in the second half with 36 yards on eight carries.

Cincinnati’s defense surrendered 482 total yards, including 207 on the ground and gave up five drives of 63 yards or more, including one for 90 yards and another for 97 yards. They helped keep their team in the game with a forced fumble and recovery in the end zone, preventing Pittsburgh from taking an 11 point lead, but allowed Pittsburgh to respond twice after taking fourth quarter leads, giving up ten points in the final seven plus minutes. They then allowed WR Santonio Holmes to catch a slant pass for the game winning 67 yard touchdown in overtime.

What you ought to know

QB Ben Roethlisberger, Pass: 19 - 28 - 280 - 1 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 3 - 16 - 0

Roethlisberger was generally steady in completing 19 of 28 passes for 280 yards. He looked awkward at times, showing his tendency for having mechanical issues in throwing the ball high or behind his target, but also came up with clutch throws as needed, in particular late in the game. In the first quarter he overthrew WR Santonio Holmes into double coverage for an interception. But he rallied and completed key third down passes to WR Hines Ward in the first quarter and again to Ward in the fourth quarter, both leading to touchdowns. He later completed three passes for 66 yards en route to a game tying field goal with 1:07 left in the game. In overtime, he ran for six yards and a first down, and the very next play read the Bengals blitz and hit WR Santonio Holmes on the hot route slant, who took it 67 yards for the game winning touchdown.

RB Willie Parker, Rush: 37 - 134 - 2, Rec: 2 - 11 - 0 (3 targets)

Parker continued his Pro Bowl season with 134 yards on 37 carries. He had 18 carries and 66 yards in the first half, including 53 yards on the Steelers’ first scoring drive. His one yard score gave them a 7-0 lead early in the second quarter. Parker then galloped for 32 yards on a 97 yard drive, but coughed up the football on the Bengals’ two yard line. It was recovered in the end zone by Cincinnati for a touchback. He made up for it with his second touchdown of the game, again from one yard out. It was his 16th touchdown of the season, breaking a team record from1985 (WR Louis Lipps, 15). Parker finished with 337 carries for 1,497 rushing yards and 222 receiving yards on 31 receptions.

RB Dan Kreider, Rec: 3 - 30 - 0 (4 targets)

Kreider caught three passes for a career high 30 yards. He had a 15 yard reception in the right flat that helped lead to a go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter, and caught a nearly identical pass and lunged forward for an 11 yard gain to the Bengals’ 17 yard line. PK Jeff Reed kicked a 35 yard field goal three plays later to force overtime.

RB Najeh Davenport, Rush: 3 - 27 - 0

Davenport came on in relief and had three consecutive carries for 27 yards with a long of 20 yards off left tackle into Bengals territory, but RB Willie Parker fumbled at Cincinnati’s two yard line four plays later. He also had one kick return for 17 yards.

WR Hines Ward, Rush: 2 - 30 - 0, Rec: 5 - 51 - 0 (7 targets)

Ward flew under the radar, but played his usual rough and rugged style, picking up three third down receptions, two of which led to Steelers touchdowns. Ward had two receptions for 15 yards, including a six yard catch on third and four, and ran a reverse for nine yards to help set up RB Willie Parker’s first touchdown. At the end of the third quarter, Ward took a backwards pass and appeared to set up a pass himself, but he tucked it and took off for a 21 yard run to the Bengals five. However, a taunting penalty on the Steelers took them out of the goal line situation. Lastly, Ward caught a 17 yard pass over the middle on third and three to set up Parker’s second touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Ward matched last years output with 975 yards receiving.

WR Santonio Holmes, Rec: 4 - 124 - 1 (7 targets)

Holmes took a slant pass from QB Ben Roethlisberger on the third play of overtime and raced 67 yards for the game winning touchdown to crush the Bengals playoff hopes. It was a possible sign of things to come, as the rookie displayed big-play potential in a season where he slowly but surely gained steam and valuable experience. His 124 yards were a season and career high and he finished his rookie campaign with 824 yards receiving on 49 receptions with two touchdowns. He also had at least 81 yards in three of his last four games since he was promoted into the starting lineup. Holmes added six yards on a punt return and a 25 yard kick return. He was also the target of a Roethlisberger deep pass, but it was overthrown and intercepted.

WR Cedrick Wilson, Rec: 3 - 30 - 0 (3 targets)

Wilson had three first half receptions, including two for eight and 14 yards respectively in the first quarter, leading to RB Willie Parker’s first touchdown early in the second quarter. He also took the opening kickoff for 11 yards before dishing the ball of to WR Santonio Holmes on a designed lateral play.

WR Nate Washington, Rec: 1 - 21 - 0 (2 targets)

Washington only had one reception, but it was a big one, for 21 yards to start the Steelers’ game tying drive late in the fourth quarter.

TE Jerame Tuman, Rec: 1 - 13 - 0 (1 targets)

Tuman was an emergency target just as QB Ben Roethlisberger was about to get sacked for a safety. Tuman took the pass underneath and rumbled 13 yards for a first down.

TE Heath Miller (1 targets)

Miller did not register a catch for just the second time all season.

PK Jeff Reed 1 - 1 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 5 points

Reed hit a game tying 35 yard field goal with 1:03 left in regulation. He converted both of his extra point attempts in the second and fourth quarters.

PIT Rush Defense

The Steelers never allowed Bengals RB Rudi Johnson to get into a rhythm, limiting him to just 11 yards on five carries in the first half. Johnson had better success in the second half, but he only had eight more carries for an additional 36 yards as the Bengals opted to try and exploit the Steelers secondary.

PIT Pass Defense

The Steelers could not get to QB Carson Palmer, but were able to pressure him nine times. They could not, however, prevent the big play as WR Chris Henry caught two deep passes, one for a 66 yard touchdown and another for 47 yards. The Steelers were also flagged for interference on a deep ball to Henry, which set up the Bengals second touchdown. The Steelers held Cincinnati to 98 passing yards through three quarters, but gave way to 153 passing yards in the fourth quarter.

QB Carson Palmer, Pass: 20 - 38 - 251 - 2 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 2 - -3 - 0

On Cincinnati’s first two plays from scrimmage, Palmer missed on two long bombs to WRs Chris Henry and Chad Johnson. From that point on he sputtered through the first three quarters and didn’t emerge as a factor until the fourth quarter. He had just 84 yards in the first half in going ten for 18 passing. He inexplicably took a knee when he thought the Steelers were offside, but no flag was thrown, and instead he rushed for negative two yards. He led the Bengals on a 14 play drive late in the first half, completing six passes for 49 yards to Pittsburgh’s four yard line, but two false start penalties forced the Bengals to kick a field goal.

He added just 14 yards passing in the third quarter, but came to life in the fourth when he found Henry, who took a pass over the middle and ran for a 66 yard touchdown. On the Bengals next drive, he completed five short passes including one to TE Tony Stewart, Palmer’s third option on the play, for a five yard touchdown to take a 17-14 lead late in the game. With under a minute remaining and the game now tied, Palmer heaved a 47 yard pass to Henry to the Steelers’ 20 yard line, but PK Shayne Graham missed a 39 yard field goal with :08 remaining in regulation.

RB Rudi Johnson, Rush: 13 - 47 - 0, Rec: 1 - 3 - 0 (3 targets)

Johnson had no room to run in the first half (five carries, 11 yards) while getting very few opportunities, thanks to the Steelers’ ball control offense. He only got a few extra runs in the second half and had a long gain of nine, but did not make an impact in any one of the Bengals’ scoring drives. His 47 rushing yards was one yard below his season low. Johnson finished with 12 touchdowns for the third consecutive season, but saw his yardage drop by 150 yards from the previous season.

RB Kenny Watson, Rec: 4 - 19 - 0 (5 targets)

Watson provided a spark in the second quarter when he had all four of his receptions for 19 yards to help set up a field goal just before halftime. He was sought out just once more midway through the third quarter.

RB Jeremi Johnson, Rush: 1 - 0 - 0

Johnson had one carry for zero yards in the second quarter.

WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Rec: 4 - 44 - 0 (12 targets)

While Houshmandzadeh was targeted most often, he too had just four receptions with a long of 23 yards. He had two receptions in the second quarter on the Bengals’ field goal drive, but could not break free like he did in his first meeting against the Steelers in Week 3 (9-94, 2 TDs). He also dropped two passes in which he appeared to hear footsteps of oncoming defenders. He set personal bests with 90 receptions and 1,081 yards.

WR Chad Johnson, Rec: 4 - 53 - 0 (6 targets)

Three of Johnson’s four receptions were on each scoring drive for Cincinnati. He caught a 16 yard out pass to the Steelers 30 yard line to help set up a field goal. He then caught a 14 yard pass over the middle two plays prior to WR Chris Henry’s touchdown catch and run. And he pulled in another 14 yarder early in the second touchdown drive. Johnson was also targeted deep in the end zone, but was overthrown just before halftime. Johnson did not score a touchdown in his final six games and averaged just 40.67 yards receiving per game over the Bengals three-game losing streak to end the season. He ended the season with 1,370 yards, his second best output of his career.

WR Chris Henry, Rec: 4 - 124 - 1 (9 targets)

In Week 3, Henry burned the Steelers for 69 yards and two touchdowns. Henry’s big play ability was on display again, this time in the fourth quarter as he nearly alone kept the Bengals’ playoffs hopes alive. He caught a Carson Palmer pass over the middle 20 yards downfield on a post pattern, and took advantage of his blockers as he weaved his way up the middle, slipping through a tackle at the ten yard line and into the end zone. On the Cincinnati’s next drive he drew a pass interference flag on a deep pass over the middle that put the ball on the Steelers’ seven yard line, effectively a 21 yard gain, and the Bengals scored three plays later. And with under a minute on the game clock, Henry hauled in a 47 yard bomb from Palmer to set up a game winning field goal, but the kick was wide right. Henry finished tied for the team lead with nine receiving touchdowns.

TE Tony Stewart, Rec: 2 - 4 - 1 (2 targets)

Stewart caught consecutive passes on Cincinnati’s next to last drive in the fourth quarter. His second went for a five yard touchdown catch, his first of the season.

TE Reggie Kelly, Rec: 1 - 4 - 0 (1 targets)

Kelly received a dump off pass in the flat late in the first quarter and did not see another pass afterwards.

PK Shayne Graham 1 - 2 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 5 points

Graham hit a 34 yard field goal in the second quarter, but sliced a game winning field goal wide right from 39 yards out with eight seconds left in the game. He converted both extra point attempts in the fourth quarter.

CIN Rush Defense

The Bengals failed to do what they’ve failed to do all season: stop the run. Their failure to do so allowed Pittsburgh to possess the ball for over 40 minutes of game clock. Willie Parker ran for 134 yards and two touchdowns, and Pittsburgh racked up 207 yards as a team. Landon Johnson had seven tackles and a forced fumble.

CIN Pass Defense

The Bengals did not give up chunks of yards at a time via the pass, until the very end when they allowed a 67 yard touchdown pass in overtime, 280 yards in all. They also could not make a stop and get off the field in a timely manner, allowing Pittsburgh to get 29 first downs, 13 through the air. CB Jonathan Joseph and SS Dexter Jackson each had seven solo tackles. Jackson also recovered a fumble in his own end zone.