Pittsburgh Steelers: Studs and duds vs. Bengals in Week 4
By Samuel Teets
The Pittsburgh Steelers are no longer winless. They defeated the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night to get their first win this season.
With a win against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night, the Pittsburgh Steelers are finally on the board in the AFC North. The Bengals opened the night by scoring a field goal in the first quarter and forcing an early turnover, but they were silent for the rest of the game. The Steelers scored 27 unanswered points in front of their home crowd to take home the much-needed victory.
At 1-3, the Steelers are now just one game behind the 2-2 Baltimore Ravens and 2-2 Cleveland Browns. The Steelers play the Ravens next week in a game that will have huge implications for the division and both teams’ seasons. Meanwhile, the Browns will face the undefeated San Francisco 49ers. If the Steelers play their cards right, they’ll be back in the mix for the division lead.
Before we look too far ahead though, let’s take the time to review which players shined for Pittsburgh in Week 4 and which players failed to make an impact.
Stud: T.J. Watt OLB
The third-year linebacker had arguably his best game of the season against the Bengals. Early on, he recovered an Andy Dalton fumble that set the Steelers offense up with good field positioning. As the game progressed, Watt and all of Pittsburgh’s key pass rushers became permanent residents in Cincinnati’s backfield.
Dalton was sacked eight times by the Steelers. Watt contributed 1.5 sacks and recorded three quarterback hits. The Pro Bowl linebacker is Pittsburgh’s most dominant defensive force. If the team wants to remain competitive, Watt needs more performances like the one he just posted.
Dud: James Washington WR
James Washington was targeted once last night but the pass fell incomplete. I was hoping that Washington would step up this week and assume the role as the second receiver behind JuJu Smith-Schuster. Washington, who was college teammates with Mason Rudolph, teased Steelers fans with a breakout preseason but has failed to make a large impact in the regular season.
So far, Washington has six receptions for 88 yards and no touchdowns. While he’s been more active than he was in his rookie season, it’s still disappointing that the second-year receiver has been unable to cement himself as a key part of the offense.