Cincinnati
Bengals
1-1
24
FINAL
17
Pittsburgh
Steelers
1-1
AI Recap
AI RECAPThe Cincinnati Bengals held off the Pittsburgh Steelers with a 24-17 victory in a hard-fought Week 3 matchup of the 2026 season. The win boosts the Bengals as they continue to assert themselves in the AFC North race, while the Steelers will have to regroup after a valiant but ultimately unsuccessful effort at home.
Joe Burrow was the catalyst for the Bengals' offense, throwing for 326 yards and three touchdowns. His connection with Tee Higgins was particularly lethal, as Higgins racked up 123 receiving yards. On the ground, Chase Brown added a crucial dimension with 109 rushing yards, keeping the Steelers' defense on its heels throughout the game.
Defensively, the Bengals were anchored by an impressive performance from Joey Bosa, who recorded three sacks, constantly disrupting the Steelers' offensive rhythm. Safety Dax Hill led the team with 10 tackles, providing a steady presence in the secondary. The game's turning point came in the fourth quarter when Bosa's relentless pressure forced a critical Steelers' turnover, allowing the Bengals to maintain their lead and secure the victory.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | YDS | TD | INT | RTG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Burrow | QB | 36 | 23 | 326 | 3 | 0 | 120.8 |
| Aaron Rodgers | QB | 29 | 18 | 191 | 0 | 0 | 81.2 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chase Brown | HB | 11 | 109 | 9.9 | 0 | 55 | 0 |
| Rico Dowdle | HB | 17 | 80 | 4.7 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| Kaleb Johnson | HB | 6 | 35 | 5.8 | 1 | 16 | 0 |
| Tahj Brooks | HB | 11 | 22 | 2.0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Joe Burrow | QB | 2 | 6 | 3.0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Michael Pittman | WR | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Aaron Rodgers | QB | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| DK Metcalf | WR | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Ja'Marr Chase | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tee Higgins | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pat Freiermuth | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Darnell Washington | TE | 2 | -2 | -1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tee Higgins | WR | 7 | 123 | 17.6 | 1 | 55 | 0 |
| DK Metcalf | WR | 6 | 103 | 17.2 | 0 | 27 | 0 |
| Ja'Marr Chase | WR | 6 | 90 | 15.0 | 2 | 45 | 0 |
| Mike Gesicki | TE | 4 | 77 | 19.3 | 0 | 29 | 1 |
| Germie Bernard | WR | 3 | 29 | 9.7 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| Pat Freiermuth | TE | 4 | 25 | 6.3 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Michael Pittman | WR | 3 | 23 | 7.7 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Andrei Iosivas | WR | 3 | 19 | 6.3 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Tahj Brooks | HB | 1 | 8 | 8.0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Kaleb Johnson | HB | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| JuJu Smith-Schuster | WR | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Riley Nowakowski | TE | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Chase Brown | HB | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joey Bosa | REDG | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dax Hill | CB | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jalen Ramsey | FS | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joey Porter | CB | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Barrett Carter | MIKE | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cam Heyward | DT | 5 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Demetrius Knight Jr | WILL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Patrick Queen | MIKE | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Cole Holcomb | WILL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DJ Turner II | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| T.J. Watt | LEDG | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dennis Gardeck | SAM | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nick Herbig | REDG | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Derrick Harmon | DT | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Frankie Luvu | WILL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ja'Whaun Bentley | MIKE | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mekhi Blackmon | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| DeShon Elliott | SS | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Levi Onwuzurike | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kyle Dugger | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Asante Samuel Jr | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jamel Dean | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cashius Howell | LEDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jamin Davis | WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Payton Wilson | WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaquan Brisker | SS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Bryan Cook | FS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evan McPherson | K | 1 | 2 | 3 | 52 |
| Chris Boswell | K | 1 | 1 | 2 | 20 |

