Cincinnati
Bengals
1-1
9
FINAL
23
Pittsburgh
Steelers
1-1
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a Week 3 showdown of the 2026 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers took control at home, topping the Cincinnati Bengals with a final score of 23-9. With both teams looking to establish momentum early in the season, the Steelers delivered a commanding performance to secure their second win.
Drew Allar shone for the Steelers, throwing for two touchdown passes while guiding his offense efficiently throughout the game. Rico Dowdle added to the offensive firepower with a solid 85 rushing yards, keeping the Bengals' defense on their heels. Meanwhile, Joe Burrow led the Bengals in passing with 207 yards, but he struggled to find the end zone, limiting Cincinnati’s scoring opportunities.
Defensively, the Steelers were able to contain the Bengals effectively, forcing critical turnovers and applying pressure throughout the contest. The turning point came late in the second quarter when Allar connected on a touchdown pass, extending their lead to two scores. Cincinnati’s inability to respond offensively after that pivotal moment proved detrimental, as the Steelers held off any comeback attempts in the second half.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Burrow | QB | 33 | 18 | 55% | 207 | 0 | 0 | 73.6 |
| Drew Allar | QB | 32 | 17 | 53% | 156 | 2 | 0 | 87.4 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rico Dowdle | HB | 18 | 85 | 4.7 | 28 | 1 | 24 | 0 |
| Joe Burrow | QB | 11 | 61 | 5.5 | — | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Chase Brown | HB | 16 | 33 | 2.1 | 14 | 0 | 18 | 1 |
| Jaylen Warren | HB | 7 | 23 | 3.3 | — | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Luke Musgrave | TE | 1 | 13 | 13.0 | 7 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| DK Metcalf | WR | 2 | 7 | 3.5 | — | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Michael Pittman | WR | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | — | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Joshua Palmer | WR | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | — | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Samaje Perine | HB | 4 | 3 | 0.8 | — | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Ja'Marr Chase | WR | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | — | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Darnell Washington | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike Gesicki | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Germie Bernard | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ja'Marr Chase | WR | 6 | 83 | 13.8 | 13 | 0 | 27 | 0 |
| DK Metcalf | WR | 6 | 58 | 9.7 | 13 | 1 | 13 | 0 |
| Mike Gesicki | TE | 4 | 56 | 14.0 | 14 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Tee Higgins | WR | 3 | 40 | 13.3 | 7 | 0 | 26 | 0 |
| Darnell Washington | TE | 3 | 25 | 8.3 | 8 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Luke Musgrave | TE | 3 | 20 | 6.7 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Jaylen Warren | HB | 1 | 19 | 19.0 | 12 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| Michael Pittman | WR | 1 | 13 | 13.0 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Joshua Palmer | WR | 1 | 13 | 13.0 | — | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Eli Heidenreich | HB | 1 | 12 | 12.0 | 5 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Germie Bernard | WR | 2 | 9 | 4.5 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
| Andrei Iosivas | WR | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | — | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Chase Brown | HB | 3 | 6 | 2.0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jerome Baker | SAM | 7 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bryan Cook | FS | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jamel Dean | CB | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joey Porter | CB | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DJ Turner II | CB | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Devin Lloyd | WILL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Dexter Lawrence II | DT | 3 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cam Heyward | DT | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Kyle Dugger | SS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alex Highsmith | REDG | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| T.J. Watt | LEDG | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Cashius Howell | REDG | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jordan Battle | SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Dax Hill | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Tacario Davis | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Payton Wilson | WILL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DeShon Elliott | SS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Derrick Harmon | DT | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Demetrius Knight Jr | WILL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Boye Mafe | REDG | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Malik Harrison | MIKE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rayshawn Jenkins | FS | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaquan Brisker | SS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| B.J. Hill | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Carson Bruener | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jonathan Allen | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nick Herbig | REDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Boswell | K | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Evan McPherson | K | 3 | 3 | 0 | 51 |

