THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS kept their playoff hopes alive and severely damaged the Cincinnati Bengals’ chances of making the NFL post-season with a 34-11 win over their AFC North rivals on Saturday.
The Buffalo Bills also remain in contention in the AFC East after eking out a 24-22 win at the Los Angeles Chargers thanks to a late Tyler Bass field goal.
Quarterback Mason Rudolph, making his first start of the season for Pittsburgh, threw for 290 yards and two touchdowns as he repaid head coach Mike Tomlin for his decision to promote him over Mitch Trubisky.
The Steelers snapped a three-game losing streak with a form-busting victory against a Bengals team that had won their last three.
With two games of the regular season remaining, both teams are now on 8-7 as they attempt to clinch a wildcard spot. The Baltimore Ravens have already secured a place in the playoffs as AFC North winners.
Steelers receiver George Pickens, who had come in for some intense scrutiny after some poor blocking in last week’s loss against Indianapolis, scored both touchdowns as he put up 195 yards on four receptions.
Pickens got the Steelers off to a hot start when on the second play of their first possession he grabbed a pass short left from Rudolph, jinked to evade the Bengals defense and then powered away for an 86-yard score.
Bengals quarterback Jake Browning, who has coped well deputising for injured starter Joe Burrow, had a tough time, throwing two interceptions in the first half, but the Steelers offense was firing on all cylinders.
Calvin Austin extended the lead at the start of the second quarter with a seven-yard run and Najee Harris made it 21-0 with a three-yard rush.
A 50-yard field goal from Chris Boswell sent Pittsburgh in with a 24-0 lead at the half.
The Bengals needed to come out strong after the interval and they did just that with Browning finding Tee Higgins who accelerated away after the catch for an 80-yard touchdown.
A successful two point conversion, with Browning’s shovel pass collected by Joe Mixon reduced the deficit to 16.
But the Steelers responded immediately and it was Pickens who delivered again — Rudolph found him wide left and the speedy receiver powered home for a 66 yard score to make 31-8.
The Bengals could only manage a field goal at the close of the third and the Steelers managed out the game well with a Boswell 30-yard field goal rounding off an impressive display.
“We did a great job across the board,” said Rudolph, the Steelers’ third quarterback of the season after starter Kenny Pickett suffered injury.
“The defense was on fire creating turnovers, giving us short fields, so we are going to carry this momentum into next week,” he said.
The Steelers travel to Seattle on New Year’s Eve before ending their season against the Ravens. The Bengals face Super Bowl champions Kansas City next and then close out the regular season at home to the AFC North’s other wildcard contender, the 9-5 Cleveland Browns.
The Bills (9-6) have resurrected their season thanks to three straight wins but they were made to work hard for victory at SoFi Stadium by a much improved Chargers.
The Chargers fired their coach Brandon Staley after last week’s 63-21 defeat to Las Vegas but the first game in charge for interim head coach Giff Smith produced instant improvement.
Quarterback Easton Stick snuck in a one yard rush at the start of the second quarter to put the Chargers 10-0 up but they trailed by four at the half after Bills quarterback Josh Allen found Gabe Davis with a 57 yard touchdown pass and then rushed in a two yard score himself.
A Cameron Dicker field goal put the Chargers back in front only for Allen to again rush in from short yardage and make it 21-13.
But the Chargers edged ahead in the fourth thanks to three field goals from Dicker before a 13 play, 64 yard drive ended with Bass’s field goal with 28 seconds left.
Ed Oliver sacked Stick for a loss of nine on the first play and the Bills held on for a vital victory.
“It’s the point of the season where it doesn’t matter how you get them done, just get them done. We found a way tonight,” Allen said.
The Bills face the New England Patriots next week before a visit to AFC East leaders Miami on the final day — a game which, if Miami slip up against Dallas on Sunday and then at the Ravens, could yet be a divisional decider.
