Cincinnati
Bengals
14-2
22
FINAL
43
Pittsburgh
Steelers
15-1
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a decisive Week 18 showdown, the Pittsburgh Steelers topped the Cincinnati Bengals with a commanding 43-22 victory, solidifying their playoff positioning. With both teams vying for momentum heading into the postseason, the Steelers demonstrated dominance on both sides of the ball.
Quarterback Ty Simpson was the standout performer for Pittsburgh, throwing for an impressive 372 yards and five touchdowns, showcasing his precision and poise throughout the game. His favorite target, DJ Moore, torched the Bengals' secondary with 175 receiving yards, making big plays that shifted the momentum in favor of the Steelers. Meanwhile, DaVonte Spriggs led the Bengals' ground game with 72 rushing yards but struggled to find consistent support.
Defensively, the Steelers made their presence felt, with T.J. Watt recording two sacks that disrupted Cincinnati's offensive rhythm. Jaquan Brisker led the team with five total tackles, playing a key role in containing the Bengals' attack. The turning point came midway through the second quarter when a crucial interception by Eric Kendricks gave Cincinnati hope, but Pittsburgh quickly responded, sealing the game with a flurry of scoring that left the Bengals reeling.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ty Simpson | QB | 19 | 15 | 79% | 372 | 5 | 1 | 136.4 |
| Jalen Milroe | QB | 36 | 22 | 61% | 280 | 2 | 1 | 92.3 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DaVonte Spriggs | HB | 8 | 72 | 9.0 | 6 | 1 | 52 | 0 |
| Ty Simpson | QB | 2 | 16 | 8.0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| James Cook III | HB | 2 | 12 | 6.0 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 0 |
| Jeff Caldwell | WR | 1 | 11 | 11.0 | โ | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Jalen Milroe | QB | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | โ | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Ja'Marr Chase | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | โ | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DJ Moore | WR | 6 | 175 | 29.2 | 57 | 3 | 55 | 0 |
| Jeff Caldwell | WR | 6 | 97 | 16.2 | 19 | 0 | 40 | 0 |
| James Cook III | HB | 3 | 86 | 28.7 | 77 | 1 | 72 | 0 |
| Tre Tucker | WR | 3 | 84 | 28.0 | 36 | 1 | 76 | 0 |
| Ja'Marr Chase | WR | 4 | 48 | 12.0 | 14 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| DaVonte Spriggs | HB | 4 | 45 | 11.3 | 26 | 1 | 20 | 0 |
| Omari Evans | WR | 5 | 45 | 9.0 | 2 | 1 | 20 | 1 |
| Sam LaPorta | TE | 3 | 45 | 15.0 | 25 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| Malik Nabers | WR | 2 | 17 | 8.5 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Dalton Schultz | TE | 1 | 10 | 10.0 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T.J. Watt | LEDG | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jaquan Brisker | SS | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Marcus Jones | CB | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jordan Battle | SS | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Eric Kendricks | MIKE | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Cole Bishop | FS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Myles Garrett | REDG | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Payton Wilson | WILL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jamel Dean | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Josh Vallejo | WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Daylen Everette | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Dexter Lawrence II | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Yasir Abdullah | SAM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bryan Cook | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Asante Samuel Jr | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Trevon Diggs | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Darien Porter | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dax Hill | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jonathan Allen | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evan McPherson | K | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Chris Boswell | K | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |

