Cincinnati
Bengals
2-0
24
FINAL
27
Pittsburgh
Steelers
1-1
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a thrilling Week 3 matchup, the Pittsburgh Steelers narrowly defeated the Cincinnati Bengals with a final score of 27-24. The stakes were high as both teams sought to establish momentum early in the 2026 season, but it was the Steelers who came out on top in a tightly contested battle.
Cincinnati's quarterback Tua Tagovailoa put on an impressive performance, racking up 294 passing yards and throwing two touchdown passes. His standout target was Courtland Sutton, who amassed 135 receiving yards, providing a constant threat downfield. Despite the loss, Tagovailoa's play kept the Bengals competitive throughout the game.
Defensively, the Steelers managed to create key stops, with Germaine Pratt leading the charge with a sack that helped shift momentum in crucial moments. While Marcus Jones of the Bengals recorded 12 total tackles, it was the Steelers' ability to contain Cincinnati's offensive firepower that ultimately turned the tide. The game's turning point came when Pittsburgh's defense forced a crucial turnover late in the fourth quarter, allowing them to seal the victory and improve their record.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | YDS | TD | INT | RTG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tua Tagovailoa | QB | 34 | 17 | 294 | 2 | 0 | 99.3 |
| Fernando Mendoza | QB | 47 | 29 | 290 | 1 | 0 | 86.3 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travis Etienne Jr | HB | 15 | 80 | 5.3 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Dylan Sampson | HB | 7 | 49 | 7.0 | 0 | 26 | 0 |
| Zach Charbonnet | HB | 13 | 44 | 3.4 | 1 | 9 | 0 |
| Tua Tagovailoa | QB | 3 | 40 | 13.3 | 0 | 37 | 0 |
| Kyle Juszczyk | FB | 1 | 11 | 11.0 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Chigoziem Okonkwo | TE | 2 | 9 | 4.5 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
| Fernando Mendoza | QB | 5 | 8 | 1.6 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Travis Kelce | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Carnell Tate | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Michael Wilson | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Courtland Sutton | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Roschon Johnson | HB | 1 | -3 | -3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Courtland Sutton | WR | 3 | 135 | 45.0 | 1 | 94 | 1 |
| Carnell Tate | WR | 8 | 107 | 13.4 | 1 | 53 | 2 |
| Michael Wilson | WR | 6 | 70 | 11.7 | 0 | 21 | 0 |
| Matthew Golden | WR | 5 | 50 | 10.0 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| A.J. Brown | WR | 3 | 50 | 16.7 | 0 | 30 | 0 |
| Kyle Juszczyk | FB | 4 | 46 | 11.5 | 0 | 25 | 0 |
| Chigoziem Okonkwo | TE | 4 | 43 | 10.8 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Andrei Iosivas | WR | 3 | 29 | 9.7 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Travis Kelce | TE | 3 | 27 | 9.0 | 1 | 11 | 0 |
| Travis Etienne Jr | HB | 3 | 10 | 3.3 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Zach Charbonnet | HB | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 0 | 7 | 1 |
| Juwan Johnson | TE | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Dylan Sampson | HB | 2 | 5 | 2.5 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Deebo Samuel Sr | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marcus Jones | CB | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bud Clark | FS | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Markquese Bell | SS | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Quay Walker | WILL | 5 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Derek Stingley Jr | CB | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kader Kohou | CB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Germaine Pratt | WILL | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaquan Brisker | SS | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Harold Landry III | REDG | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tyleik Williams | DT | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lonnie Johnson Jr | FS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Trey Amos | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jalen Carter | DT | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Myles Garrett | REDG | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Josh Sweat | REDG | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jalon Walker | REDG | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mansoor Delane | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tacario Davis | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Elijah Molden | FS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Darrell Jackson Jr. | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nate Landman | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cole Holcomb | WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| David Long Jr | WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Emmanuel McNeil-Warren | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Travis Jones | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ed Oliver | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cody Barton | MIKE | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Prater | K | 1 | 1 | 1 | 53 |
| Daniel Carlson | K | 4 | 4 | 1 | 43 |
| Rigoberto Sanchez | P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

