Three Down Look: Steelers Dominate Bengals From Start to Finish
The latest Sunday in Pittsburgh brought more of the same in a one-sided AFC North "rivalry" as the Bengals fell to the Steelers 36-10 at Heinz Field.
Pittsburgh dominated Cincinnati in all three phases of the game. The Bengals have lost 11 straight games to the Steelers. They're 1-9 in AFC North matchups under head coach Zac Taylor.
Here's the three-down look of a rough day in the steel city.
First Down: Turnovers Set the Tone
The Bengals got off to a dream start in the first few moments of the game. They forced the Steelers to punt on their opening drive. Unfortunately, Alex Erickson coughed up the ball on the ensuing punt return and the Steelers suddenly had a short field. Erickson's first fumble this year only ended up costing the Bengals three points, but it was a sign of things to come.
Cincinnati proceeded to punt three times and turn it over an additional time via a Tee-Higgins fumble. They were down 12-0 after the first quarter.
All of the momentum captured from their victory against Tennessee evaporated over the week off. Higgins redeemed himself after the mistake by scoring the teams only touchdown. He finished with seven receptions for 115 yards. The rookie was the only weapon that turned his play around, posting 0.69 EPA (expected points added) per play. No other pass catcher posted a positive EPA for the Bengals.
Cincinnati has trailed at halftime in three of their four division games this season. In Pittsburgh, turnovers played a big part in keeping that trend alive.
Second Down: Depleted Secondary Attacked at Will
Pittsburgh had their eye on the Bengals injury report and took advantage of a vulnerable secondary. Mackensie Alexander was knocked out of the game in the opening minutes with a concussion. The Bengals only had three healthy corners for the rest of the game.
Ben Roethlisberger has gotten used to carving up dilapidated Bengals' secondaries and Sunday brought more of the same. The veteran finished 27-of-46 for 333 yards and four touchdowns. Both his attempts and yards were season-highs as the Steelers picked away at the Bengals' biggest weakness. Pittsburgh never hid what they wanted to do, rushing for just 2.2 yards per carry on a 30% run share. It was an aerial assault at Heinz Field.
Practice squad regular Jalen Davis stepped in for Alexander and while he struggled in coverage, no one stepped up their play around him. William Jackson III fell flat, despite entering the game as the Bengals' number one corner.
Jackson III was burned multiple times throughout the game as the Steelers rolled out their deadly trio of healthy wide receivers. The three-headed monster of Chase Claypool, Juju Smith-Schuster and Diontae Johnson combined to post three yards of average separation according to NextGen Stats.
Pittsburgh burned the Bengals' soft coverage all night while taking advantage of miscommunication issues from an inexperienced unit. Sunday's showing is not the secondary fans imagined after Cincinnati signed Trae Waynes and Alexander this past offseason.
Third Down: Bengals Aren't Close in the AFC North
The Bengals' 8-0 start back in 2015 seems like a lifetime ago after Sunday's game. Taylor is now 0-6 against the two teams that have owned the AFC North this century.
The Bengals have been outscored by the Ravens and Steelers 178-56 in six matchups with Taylor at the helm. One competitive game in six tries isn't going to cut it, especially when looking at how he's prepared this team during their two bye weeks. Last year, the Bengals returned from London with a perfectly placed break in Week 9. They were embarrassed by Lamar Jackson and the Ravens 49-13 in their first game back from the bye. It wasn't much better on Sunday against the Steelers.
The best coaches get their teams prepared to dominate by installing a fresh outlook for the rest of the season. Taylor has failed to do that over his first 25 career games. At this rate, he won't get 25 more chances to right the ship.
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