Bengals vs. Steelers—Week 11: Pittsburgh Steadies, Cincinnati Spirals

By Trinity Barnette

Bengals vs. Steelers—Week 11

Pittsburgh Steadies, Cincinnati Spirals

The Bengals didn’t just lose in Pittsburgh—they got humbled. After three straight weeks of Joe Flacco reviving Cincinnati’s offense, reality hit hard at Acrisure Stadium as the Steelers ran off with a 34–12 win and exposed every weakness Cincinnati tried to hide.

Aaron Rodgers barely made it through a half before a left-hand injury sent him to the locker room, but Pittsburgh didn’t panic. Mason Rudolph—yes, that Mason Rudolph—came in, stayed poised, and guided two long scoring drives to put the game away. The Steelers offense didn’t dominate, but it didn’t need to. Their defense did the heavy lifting, and Cincinnati handed them every opportunity.

Pittsburgh’s turning point came late in the third quarter on the kind of mistake that defines bad seasons. Joe Flacco floated a pass into the middle of the field, Kyle Dugger read it instantly, and the pick-6 shifted the game from competitive to collapse. James Pierre sealed it minutes later with a 32-yard scoop-and-score because Cincinnati’s offense wasn’t done giving the ball away.

And then came the headline moment—the Jalen Ramsey vs. Ja’Marr Chase meltdown.

The two were jawing all afternoon, but early in the fourth quarter it erupted into a full-on scuffle. Flags flew, helmets came off, Ramsey threw a punch, and Pittsburgh lost one of their stars to an ejection. Both sides claimed the other started it—Chase said he never spit on anybody, Ramsey swore he was spit on and wasn’t tolerating it. Regardless of the story, it didn’t save the Bengals. They got a field goal out of it, and nothing more.

This was supposed to be an offensive shootout like their last matchup. Instead, the Bengals looked flat. Chase and Higgins—who combined for 257 yards in the first meeting—were held to just 90. The run game never found traction. The defense couldn’t get off the field on third down. And the turnovers—again—buried any chance of a comeback.

Raw Reflection

Pittsburgh moves to 6–4 and stays on top of the AFC North.

Cincinnati falls to 3–7, and the season isn’t just slipping—it’s gone.

This is who the Bengals are right now: inconsistent, sloppy, and unable to match the physicality the AFC North demands in November. And if the Flacco magic is already fizzling out, this stretch against New England, Baltimore, and Buffalo might get ugly fast.