Pittsburgh Steelers Survive Wild Overtime Thriller Against Cincinnati Bengals

The Pittsburgh Steelers lost one of their stars late in the fourth quarter of their overtime war of attrition against the Cincinnati Bengals, but they survived. Edge Rusher T.J. Watt left the game and would miss the entirety of extra time, yet the Steelers still eeked out a 23-20 win on the road.

Watt had been in the middle of an exceptional game before going down, notching one sack and one interception in a game where the Steelers harassed Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow relentlessly. The Pittsburgh defense was the story of the day, tallying seven sacks and five turnovers against last year's AFC conference champions. But the offense couldn't carry its half of the bargain, stumbling to a meagre 4.38 yards per play and a brutal 4/15 on 3rd down conversions. The Steelers never pulled away, and the Bengals clawed their way back from down 14 at the half. The Steelers eventually nailed a 53-yard field goal as overtime expired, handing the Bengals their first big obstacle on their road to repeating as AFC North champions.

The Bengals could never get out of their own way, piling up negative plays and bumbling opportunities to win the game. They missed a pair of critical kicks that could have put the Steelers away; first, an extra-point that would have put them up 21-20 with five seconds left in the fourth quarter, and then a 29-yard field goal in OT that should have sealed the deal. It was a serendipitous, miraculous home loss for the Bengals, who notched 32 first downs to Pittsburgh's 13 and 432 yards to Pittsburgh's 267. They'll need to move on quickly if they want to beat the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2.

The Steelers can celebrate a wild win for now, but early word is their star pass rusher T.J. Watt will miss extensive time with a torn pectoral. They host a New England Patriots team desperate to make up for an embarrassing effort against the Miami Dolphins.