PITTSBURGH — Aaron Rodgers passed for 292 yards and three touchdowns to outduel Joe Burrow as the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Cincinnati Bengals 30-27 on Sunday.
Pittsburgh (2-1) bounced back from a miserable performance last week at New England to blunt some of Cincinnati's early momentum.
Rodgers completed 19 of 34 passes, including a 47-yard catch-and-run to massive tight end Darnell Washington that helped set up Chris Boswell's go-ahead, 33-yard field goal with 2:18 remaining.
Cincinnati (2-1) had a chance late. The Bengals reached Pittsburgh territory, but Burrow fumbled after being sacked by defensive tackle Derrick Harmon. Pittsburgh rookie defensive lineman Sebastian Joseph-Day fell on the ball near midfield and the Steelers escaped.
Jaylen Warren had 176 total yards (127 rushing, 49 receiving) for Pittsburgh, which matched the high-powered Bengals score-for-score as Cincinnati watched a chance for its first 3-0 start since 2015 disappear.
Burrow passed for 292 yards and three scores, including an incredible 28-yard heave to Tee Higgins late in the first half. The ball fell into Higgins' abdominal area as the wide receiver boxed out Steelers defensive back Asante Samuel Jr. for position just across the goal line.
Yet the Bengals' opportunity to stamp themselves as front-runners in the AFC North disappeared with some self-inflicted wounds. A roughing-the-punter penalty in the third quarter extended a Pittsburgh drive that ended with a touchdown pass from Rodgers to DK Metcalf.
Cincinnati's Ke'Shawn Williams muffed a punt deep in Bengals territory midway through the fourth to set up the second of Boswell's three field goals that tied the game at 27.
Cincinnati backed up Pittsburgh deep in its territory late in the fourth, but the Steelers responded even after a run of 80-plus yards by Warren was wiped out by a holding penalty on Metcalf.
Rodgers, playing behind a new-look offensive line that included rookie first-round pick Max Iheanachor at right tackle, guided the Steelers 77 yards anyway to set up Boswell.
Pittsburgh's defence, playing without cornerback Joey Porter Jr. for a third straight game, spent much of the afternoon letting Burrow do whatever he wanted before Harmon crashed into Burrow and Joseph-Day, a sixth-round draft pick, fell on it to give first-year coach Mike McCarthy a needed boost.
Injuries
Bengals: LB Demetrius Knight left in the first quarter ... WR Colbie Young (knee) exited in the first half with a knee injury.
Steelers: CB Brandin Eichols was evaluated for a concussion after colliding with Williams during the botched second-half punt return.
Up next
Bengals: At Jacksonville next Sunday.
Steelers: Visit Cleveland on Thursday night.
