Bengals Lose, But Did The Prove Anything?

Probably. The consensus is the Steelers are still among the elite of the AFC, and by golly, the Bengals were still right there with them. Many will point to the two fourth quarter interceptions as the Bengals demise, but I think it was the beginning of the game that sunk them. The Bengals have a good defense. They should not allow anyone to march down the field on their first two drives, score touchdowns, and build a 14-0 lead. After that, the defense was very good. On those first two drives the Steelers seemed to take advantage of a juiced up Bengals defense, and an aggressive mindset of the line. Mixing in the end-around plays had the Bengals off-balance. It was a little disappointing that once the Bengals tied the game at 17 in the third quarter, they allowed Pittsburgh to answer with an 81-yard touchdown drive. Still, allowing just 10 points after the midway point in the opening quarter shows the Bengals defense was able to get its act together. The game shows the Bengals are in the playoff race for the long haul.

I'm still not sure, and we will never know if someone made the wrong read on the last interception. Andy Dalton appeared to be reading a slant, while Jerome Simpson appeared to be squatting in a seam. That cannot happen in that situation, but at least it's not an epidemic like in years past.