With both teams already having secured playoff berths, the
Steelers earned the AFC’s No. 3 seed and a home playoff game against
Baltimore. It is their first division title since 2010.
The Bengals fall to No. 5 and will travel to Indianapolis.
Pittsburgh rose to the occasion behind All-Pro receiver Brown, who
finished with 212 total yards.
Brown opened the scoring with a 71-yard punt return in the first
quarter and closed it with a clinching 63-yard reception that came
with 2:50 left and the Steelers holding a 20-17 lead.
Cincinnati quarterback Andy Dalton came in battling the flu and
tossed two touchdowns and two interceptions.
The Bengals took a 10-7 lead in the second quarter before Pittsburgh
ran off 13 straight points before halftime, highlighted by
quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s 21-yard throw to Martavis Bryant.
[to top of second column] |
Cincinnati pulled to 20-17 early in the fourth on Dalton's touchdown
throw to Jermaine Gresham, but would get no closer.
Roethlisberger finished with 317 yards passing but the Steelers
suffered a potentially damaging injury to running back Le’Veon Bell,
who left in the third quarter with a knee problem and did not
return.
(Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; Editing by Peter
Rutherford)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
|