Cincinnati
Bengals
1-1
13
FINAL
17
Pittsburgh
Steelers
0-2
AI Recap
AI RECAPThe Pittsburgh Steelers narrowly defeated the Cincinnati Bengals, 17-13, in a tightly contested Week 3 battle of the 2026 season. With both teams looking to solidify their position in the division, this matchup proved crucial for early-season momentum.
Drew Allar led the Steelers' offense with a steady performance, throwing for one touchdown and managing the game effectively. However, it was Jaylen Warren who stole the show on the ground, racking up 111 rushing yards and providing the necessary spark for Pittsburgh's attack. Joe Burrow kept the Bengals competitive with 210 passing yards, but he couldn't connect in the end zone often enough to secure the win.
Defensively, the Steelers made critical plays that shifted the momentum in their favor, highlighted by Jamel Dean's eight total tackles and Cam Heyward's dominant presence with 2.5 sacks. The game's turning point came late in the fourth quarter, when Heyward's pressure on Burrow forced a critical turnover, sealing the victory for Pittsburgh. The Steelersβ defense proved to be the backbone of their success, stifling the Bengals when it mattered most.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Burrow | QB | 44 | 23 | 52% | 210 | 0 | 0 | 65.5 |
| Drew Allar | QB | 34 | 19 | 56% | 185 | 1 | 0 | 81.1 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaylen Warren | HB | 11 | 111 | 10.1 | 71 | 0 | 28 | 0 |
| Chase Brown | HB | 15 | 50 | 3.3 | 8 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Samaje Perine | HB | 3 | 33 | 11.0 | 18 | 1 | 21 | 0 |
| Joe Burrow | QB | 5 | 23 | 4.6 | β | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Drew Allar | QB | 5 | 21 | 4.2 | β | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Eli Heidenreich | HB | 6 | 5 | 0.8 | β | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| Pat Freiermuth | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Erick All Jr | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Colbie Young | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ja'Marr Chase | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ja'Marr Chase | WR | 6 | 69 | 11.5 | 26 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| Pat Freiermuth | TE | 5 | 65 | 13.0 | 21 | 0 | 28 | 1 |
| Colbie Young | WR | 5 | 61 | 12.2 | 9 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Michael Pittman | WR | 4 | 52 | 13.0 | 17 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| DK Metcalf | WR | 2 | 27 | 13.5 | 7 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| Chase Brown | HB | 2 | 27 | 13.5 | 16 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Mike Gesicki | TE | 4 | 26 | 6.5 | 6 | 0 | 12 | 1 |
| Germie Bernard | WR | 3 | 22 | 7.3 | 12 | 1 | 14 | 0 |
| Erick All Jr | TE | 4 | 15 | 3.8 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Jaylen Warren | HB | 3 | 13 | 4.3 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Andrei Iosivas | WR | 1 | 8 | 8.0 | β | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Eli Heidenreich | HB | 2 | 6 | 3.0 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Mitchell Tinsley | WR | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | β | 0 | 4 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dexter Lawrence II | DT | 6 | 2.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Demetrius Knight Jr | WILL | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cam Heyward | DT | 3 | 2.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jamel Dean | CB | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DeShon Elliott | SS | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kyle Dugger | SS | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Jalen Ramsey | CB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Patrick Queen | MIKE | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dax Hill | CB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rayshawn Jenkins | FS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Derrick Harmon | DT | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Daylen Everette | FS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Shemar Stewart | LEDG | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DJ Turner II | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alex Highsmith | DT | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaquan Brisker | SS | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Nick Herbig | REDG | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oren Burks | WILL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kris Jenkins Jr | DT | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bryan Cook | FS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| A.J. Terrell Jr | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cole Holcomb | WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cashius Howell | REDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Myles Murphy | LEDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jordan Battle | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Boswell | K | 1 | 1 | 2 | 33 |
| Evan McPherson | K | 2 | 2 | 1 | 46 |

