Cincinnati
Bengals
1-1
20
FINAL
31
Pittsburgh
Steelers
0-2
AI Recap
AI RECAPThe Pittsburgh Steelers secured a 31-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3 of the 2026 season, solidifying their position in the competitive AFC North. With both teams vying for early-season supremacy, the Steelers' strong performance at home proved crucial in this matchup.
Justin Fields led the Steelers' offense with two touchdown passes, demonstrating poise and precision, while Eli Heidenreich added a solid ground game with 72 rushing yards. DK Metcalf was a standout in the receiving corps, racking up 93 yards and serving as a key target for Fields throughout the game. Joe Burrow, despite his 226 passing yards for Cincinnati, couldn't match the effectiveness of Pittsburgh's offensive execution.
On the defensive side, the Steelers made their mark with Lorenzo Styles Jr. leading the team with eight tackles. T.J. Watt was a disruptive force, recording 1.5 sacks, while Jalen Ramsey's two interceptions were pivotal in shifting momentum. The gameโs turning point came when Ramsey intercepted a crucial pass in the second half, effectively stalling a Bengals drive and allowing the Steelers to extend their lead.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Burrow | QB | 38 | 20 | 53% | 226 | 1 | 2 | 57.5 |
| Justin Fields | QB | 35 | 21 | 60% | 224 | 2 | 0 | 97.7 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eli Heidenreich | HB | 12 | 72 | 6.0 | 29 | 1 | 17 | 0 |
| Jaylen Warren | HB | 8 | 32 | 4.0 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 0 |
| Chase Brown | HB | 10 | 32 | 3.2 | โ | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Joe Burrow | QB | 3 | 11 | 3.7 | โ | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Samaje Perine | HB | 9 | 10 | 1.1 | โ | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Ja'Marr Chase | WR | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | โ | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Tee Higgins | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | โ | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pat Freiermuth | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | โ | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sincere Brown | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | โ | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike Gesicki | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | โ | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DK Metcalf | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | โ | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Justin Fields | QB | 3 | -3 | -1.0 | โ | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DK Metcalf | WR | 5 | 93 | 18.6 | 40 | 2 | 54 | 0 |
| Tee Higgins | WR | 5 | 79 | 15.8 | 38 | 1 | 35 | 1 |
| Ja'Marr Chase | WR | 5 | 63 | 12.6 | 19 | 0 | 22 | 1 |
| Pat Freiermuth | TE | 4 | 49 | 12.3 | 32 | 0 | 22 | 1 |
| Mike Gesicki | TE | 5 | 48 | 9.6 | 20 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Sincere Brown | WR | 5 | 47 | 9.4 | 13 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Andrei Iosivas | WR | 4 | 33 | 8.3 | 15 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Germie Bernard | WR | 2 | 12 | 6.0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Roman Wilson | WR | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | โ | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Robert Tonyan | TE | 1 | 8 | 8.0 | โ | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Eli Heidenreich | HB | 3 | 6 | 2.0 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Samaje Perine | HB | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jalen Ramsey | CB | 3 | 0.5 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Lorenzo Styles Jr | FS | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kyle Dugger | SS | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bryan Cook | FS | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| T.J. Watt | LEDG | 3 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Demetrius Knight Jr | WILL | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jordan Battle | SS | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Trevon Diggs | CB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Boye Mafe | REDG | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Robert Spears-Jennings | SS | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jack Sawyer | LEDG | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cam Heyward | DT | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cole Bishop | SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tacario Davis | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dominique Hampton | WILL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Emmanuel McNeil-Warren | FS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Daylen Everette | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Cashius Howell | REDG | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Keeanu Benton | DT | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jonathan Allen | DT | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Derrick Harmon | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DJ Turner II | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dax Hill | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brandin Echols | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dexter Lawrence II | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Patrick Queen | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Payton Wilson | WILL | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Barrett Carter | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| B.J. Hill | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Yahya Black | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oren Burks | WILL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evan McPherson | K | 2 | 3 | 2 | 29 |
| Chris Boswell | K | 1 | 1 | 4 | 50 |

