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Halftime Observations: Cincinnati Bengals Struggling in Pittsburgh, Trail Steelers 24-0

Cincinnati is in danger of falling to 8-7 on the season.

James Rapien

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CINCINNATI — The Bengals are in trouble. They trail the Steelers 24-0 at halftime and are in danger of falling to 8-7 on the season and 0-5 in the AFC North. 

Here are our halftime observations: 

Nightmare Start

The Bengals got off to an awful start on Saturday. Cincinnati punted on the opening possession of the game after their drive stalled near midfield. Brad Robbins pinned the Steelers at the 8-yard line, but Mason Rudolph found George Pickens for an 86-yard touchdown on Pittsburgh's second play from scrimmage. 

The Bengals' offense appeared to respond, making it to the Steelers' 16-yard line, but Jake Browning threw an awful interception on third down. There wasn't even a Bengals player in the area. 

The Steelers went on a 10-play, 80-yard drive that ended with a 9-yard touchdown run by Calvin Austin.  

Mason Rudolph completed 4-of-4 passes for 130 yards and one touchdown in the first quarter. Najee Harris averaged 7.3 yards-per-carry. 

It was complimentary football in the worst way, as the defense gave up a big play and struggled to stop the run. The offense moved the ball, but Jake Browning's interception took points off the board.  

Turnovers

Browning threw two interceptions in the first half. His first one took points off the board for the Bengals. They were in field goal range. His second one was just as bad. 

Browning tried to find Tyler Boyd, but misread the defense and Eric Rowe intercepted the pass. The Steelers got the ball at the 14-yard line and scored a touchdown four plays later.  

Lone Bright Spot

The Bengals struggled in the field half, but rookie running back Chase Brown was a bright spot for Cincinnati. 

Brown ran hard, broke tackles and found yards, despite not having much room. He only had three carries for 11 yards (3.7 yards-per-carry), but he was more productive than Joe Mixon, who had five carries for four yards (0.8 yards-per-carry).

The Bengals Will Win If...

Their defense has to get stops. The Steelers' offense has moved the ball up and down the field. Pittsburgh gets the ball to start the third quarter. Cincinnati has to get a stop if they're going to have a chance to make a comeback. 

The offense has moved the ball, but Browning's two interceptions coupled with a failed conversion on fourth down have the Bengals in a tough spot. 

They need to find a way to produce some big plays. It doesn't matter if it's Tee Higgins, Tanner Hudson, Boyd, Mixon, Brown or any of their other playmakers. They have to have a few explosive plays in the second half if they're going to win. 

The Steelers scored 24 points in the first half, which is the most they've scored in the first half this season. They haven't scored 24 points in a game since Oct. 22. Their 24-point lead is their biggest since the 2020 season. 

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James Rapien
JAMES RAPIEN

James Rapien is the publisher of Bengals On SI. He's also the host of the Locked on Bengals podcast and Cincinnati Bengals Talk on YouTube. The Cincinnati native also wrote a book about the history of the Cincinnati Bengals called Enter The Jungle. Prior to joining Bengals On SI, Rapien worked at 700 WLW and ESPN 1530 in Cincinnati

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