STEELERS 101

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals head to halftime of their AFC North match-up tied 14-14.

The Steelers opened the game with a tremendous kick return from rookie Chris Rainey and did not let it go to waste. While they did not punch in a touchdown, they were able to manufacture three-points after a critical Mike Wallace drop on third down. Shaun Suisham capped the drive with a 42-yard field goal.

The Bengals came right back and took the lead 7-3 on a 15-play 80-yard drive. The balanced march was a solid mix of run and pass was capped by a Cedric Peerman five-yard run. After a Ben Roethlisberger fumble set up the Bengals at the nine-yard line, they wasted little time extending the lead to 14-3. To cap the one-play drive quarterback Andy Dalton hit receiver A.J. Green on a slant burning cornerback Ike Taylor for the score. This was the second consecutive drive for the Steelers that ended in turnover as Roethlisberger was picked off in the end zone on the previous drive.

The Steelers finally got back on the scoreboard with another Suisham field goal. This time it was a 47-yard attempt, which capped a 10-play 60-yard drive that made the score 14-6 with three minutes remaining in the first half. On the drive, Wallace again dropped a pass in the end zone (albeit it was tipped). After the kick-off, the Steelers defense finally came up with a turnover and set the offense up near the Red Zone and the offense finally made them pay. After a couple tough first-downs, Roethlisberger hit Heath Miller for a nine-yard touchdown and two point conversion to make the score 14-14 just before the half.

On offense, Roethlisberger has been solid, completing 15-of-21 for 138 yards one touchdown and one interception. He is being helped by a little bit of a running game, with Jonathan Dwyer churning out 51-yards on eight carries.

One troubling trend that started early in the contest is the inability of Wallace to hold onto the ball at critical times, dropping three balls that would have been easy first downs or touchdowns. For a player that held out of training camp for more money, he cannot have those moments with suspect hands. Especially when the defense is struggling the way the this Steelers unit is.

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Tags: A.J. Green, Andy Dalton, Ben Roethlisberger, Cedric Peerman, Cincinnati Bengals, Football, Heath Miller, Jonathan Dwyer, Mike Wallace, NFL, Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Steelers

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