Click here to see all recaps on a single page
| Other Week 10 Game Recaps | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATL at CAR | BAL at CLE | BUF at TEN | CHI at SF | CIN at PIT | DAL at GB | DEN at WAS | DET at MIN |
| JAX at NYJ | KC at OAK | NE at IND | NO at STL | PHI at SD | SEA at ARI | TB at MIA | |
Week 10 Game Recap: Cincinnati Bengals 18, Pittsburgh Steelers 12
Cincinnati Bengals
| QB Carson Palmer, Pass: 18 - 30 - 178 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 5 - -2 - 0 |
Palmer struggled against Pittsburgh. The Steelers were able to get enough pressure on him to rush a few throws and their corners successfully jumped routes early. Palmer never got into a consistent rhythm, misfiring on a number of downfield throws that he usually hits, especially on deep timing routes with Chad Ochocinco. Palmer continues to move well in the pocket and was again able to avoid throwing bad interceptions, though only narrowly this week.
| RB Bernard Scott, Rush: 13 - 33 - 0, Rec: 1 - 21 - 0 (2 targets) |
Scott provided the game's only touchdown on a kickoff return in the first half, then saw his first extended action of the season in relief of an injured Cedric Benson. Scott had difficulty gaining consistent yardage against a tough Pittsburgh front, but looked more comfortable and decisive as the second half progressed. He was a big part of a clock-killing fourth quarter drive that ended in a field goal. He also showed some of the explosiveness that earned him the backup job in the preseason on a 21 yard catch and run. Like Benson, Scott gave way to Brian Leonard in passing situations.
| RB Cedric Benson, Rush: 7 - 22 - 0 |
Benson had trouble finding running room between the tackles early, but did break a couple of strong runs before a hip flexor strain knocked him out of the game. Benson came back into the game for one play after the injury, but was clearly not himself and didn't return.
| RB Brian Leonard, Rush: 4 - 8 - 0, Rec: 3 - 24 - 0 (3 targets) |
Leonard continues to be a valuable outlet receiver and short yardage threat on passing downs. He converted another third down on a catch out of the backfield and gained tough yards spelling Bernard Scott after Cedric Benson's injury.
| WR Laveranues Coles, Rec: 5 - 67 - 0 (9 targets) |
Coles continues to strengthen his chemistry with Carson Palmer. Coles was Palmer's most targeted receiver against Pittsburgh. He made tough catches along the sideline and when covered over the middle, including on a long 25 yard catch and run in the second quarter to convert on third down.
| WR Andre Caldwell, Rec: 4 - 23 - 0 (6 targets) |
The Steelers held Caldwell in check over the middle for the most part. Though he did get open on deeper patterns, Carson Palmer was pressured on those plays and unable to find him and complete the passes. Caldwell continues to show good hands and an awareness of how to beat underneath zone coverage and is often Palmer's first read on short third down passing situations.
| WR Chad Ochocinco, Rec: 2 - 29 - 0 (7 targets) |
Ochocinco was open frequently between the Steelers' zone defenders, but the timing patterns failed because of defensive pressure or Carson Palmer's inaccuracy. Ochocinco did make two tough catches along the sideline, but was generally frustrated on the day.
| TE John Paul Foschi, Rec: 3 - 14 - 0 (3 targets) |
Foschi was targeted three times on short passes. He showed better hands this week, grabbing a low pass off the turf, but also failed to get far enough downfield on a short third down play that ended a drive in the red zone.
Pittsburgh Steelers
| QB Ben Roethlisberger, Pass: 20 - 40 - 174 - 0 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 2 - 16 - 0 |
Roethlisberger struggled to find a rhythm against a mix of consistent pressure and strong coverage from the Bengals' defense. That combination allowed him to complete only 12 passes to his wide receivers on 29 targets and held him to just a 50% completion rate on the day. Roethlisberger was able to keep plays alive on many occasions, but too often had tunnel vision for one side of the field and missed open receivers coming open in other zones. Many of his passes missed high and at least two were nearly intercepted but dropped.
| RB Rashard Mendenhall, Rush: 13 - 36 - 0, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (1 targets) |
Despite a close game from start to finish, the Steelers' playcalling was heavily skewed toward the pass and Mendenhall finished with only 13 carries despite Willie Parker only playing a handful of snaps. Mendenhall never got into the flow of the game, as the Steelers looked downfield on many downs after short running gains. Mendenhall was frequently held up at the point of attack, but showed the ability to run small between the tackles and avoid tacklers and also break tackles outside the tackles. He often came off the field on passing downs for Mewelde Moore
| RB Mewelde Moore, Rush: 2 - 21 - 0, Rec: 2 - 14 - 0 (2 targets) |
Moore broke two solid runs against the Bengals' front seven and had another strong catch and run out of the backfield. He saw time in the base offensive packages before Willie Parker, but, like Parker, saw only a handful of snaps overall. He played mostly on passing downs and was solid in pass protection.
| RB Willie Parker, Rush: 1 - 7 - 0 (1 targets) |
Parker didn't see an offensive snap until the second half. He was given only one rushing attempt and had only one target in the passing game. The Steelers went with a pass-heavy game plan for much of the game but Parker still saw many fewer snaps than any other game in which he was active this year.
| WR Santonio Holmes, Rec: 7 - 88 - 0 (14 targets) |
Holmes often broke open late across the middle when the Bengals played zone defense but Roethlisberger was usually under pressure or looking to the other side of the field when he did. Had those connections been made, Holmes would have had a huge day. Holmes was Roethlisberger's most targeted wide receiver again, however, and made a number of strong catches in traffic.
| WR Hines Ward, Rec: 4 - 24 - 0 (10 targets) |
Ward showed his toughness on one catch, breaking tackles and gaining a first yard deep in Cincinnati territory. However, pressure from the Cincinnati defense kept Ben Roethlisberger from connecting with him more often when open and the Bengals' corners knocked a number of passes down when Roethlisberger was able to get the ball away.
| WR Mike Wallace, Rec: 1 - 16 - 0 (5 targets) |
Roethlisberger tried to get the ball to Wallace downfield often. Wallace drew an interference call on one deep pass, and he was open deep for a possible game-winning TD late, only to have Chris Crocker make a last-second breakup. The Bengal coverage forced incompletions on most of his targets.
| TE Heath Miller, Rec: 4 - 26 - 0 (6 targets) |
Miller made a number of tough catches over the middle, but all of his gains were short. Miller generally stayed in to help protect Roethlisberger and had few high leverage targets, including none in the red zone.