The Bengals have gotten on the board, but this game is all about George Pickens.
Just after Cincinnati scored a touchdown and two-point conversion, Pickens caught a deep pass down the left sideline for a 66-yard touchdown to put the Steelers up 31-8 early in the third quarter.
Pickens was left one-on-one on third-and-1 from the Pittsburgh 34 and quarterback Mason Rudolph hit him in stride 25 yards in front of the line of scrimmage. Pickens used his speed to do the rest for the long score.
After taking some heavy criticism this week, Pickens now has four catches for a career-high 195 yards with two touchdowns. He also scored an 86-yard TD on the Steelers’ second play from scrimmage in the first quarter.
Rudolph is also 16-of-24 for 279 yards with two touchdowns, playing well in his first start since 2021.
The Bengals had gotten into the end zone with an 80-yard catch-and-run by Tee Higgins on their fist play of the third quarter. They also had a successful two-point conversion when quarterback Jake Browning flipped the ball to running back Joe Mixon.
But the defense couldn’t force a punt to get Cincinnati the ball back.
