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Steelers-Bengals highlights, lowlights

The following are the highlights and lowlights from the Steelers’ 16-10 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati:

Play of the game: With 9 minutes left in the game and the Bengals driving toward a go-ahead touchdown, Steelers linebacker Devin Bush punched the ball away from Cincinnati receiver Tyler Boyd right after he caught it at the Pittsburgh 8-yard line. Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick recovered the fumble, and the Bengals never threatened again.

Offensive player of the game: Steelers rookie running back Benny Snell rushed for 98 yards on 21 carries.

Defensive player of the game: Pittsburgh defensive end Cam Heyward had six tackles, including one sack, and four quarterback hits.

Most telling statistic: The Bengals are 0-11.

Hidden statistic: Cincinnati started no drives beyond its own 40-yard line.

Best run: Snell beat Bengals cornerback Darqueze Dennard to the outside on a third-and-1 with 3:47 left in the game and galloped 21 yards to the Cincinnati 13. It led to a Chris Boswell field goal.

Best pass: Pittsburgh’s Devlin Hodges replaced Mason Rudolph early in the third quarter and almost immediately hit James Washington in stride over the deep middle for a 79-yard touchdown.

Worst pass: Cincinnati’s Ryan Finley missed a wide-open Alex Erickson on a double route down the right sideline on third-and-9 from their own 41 late in the third quarter.

Best catch: Boyd one-armed a 47-yard bomb from Finley with Terrell Edmunds in coverage in the second quarter.

Dropped pass: Pittsburgh’s Tevin Jones couldn’t pull in a Rudolph pass behind him in the end zone in the second quarter.

Best block: Steelers pulling right guard David DeCastro put Bengals safety Shawn Williams on the turf while leading the way on a Kerrith Whyte 16-yard run to the Cincinnati 9-yard line in the first quarter.

Missed block: Pittsburgh left tackle Alejandro Villanueva had problems all game with Bengals defensive end Carlos Dunlap, especially on a sack of Hodges in the fourth quarter.

Best tackle: Pittsburgh’s Mark Barron nearly recorded a safety in the second quarter by taking down Finley at the 1-yard line.

Best hit: Steelers linebacker Bud Dupree sealed the victory with a strip sack of Finley and recovery with 2:47 left in the game.

Missed tackle: The Bengals’ B.W. Webb was stiff-armed to the ground by Washington on his 79-yard touchdown.

Best kick: Boswell nailed a 47-yard field goal to put the Steelers up 13-10 with 12 minutes left in the game.

Worst kick: Punting out of his own end zone in the second quarter, Cincinnati’s Kevin Huber booted one just 43 yards to give the Steelers the ball at midfield.

Best coverage: Pittsburgh cornerback Joe Haden knocked away back-to-back passes late in the fourth quarter to force the Bengals to punt.

Worst coverage: Haden ended up behind Boyd, who caught a 15-yard touchdown late in the second quarter on the first play after his 47-yard reception.

Costliest penalties: On the Steelers’ fourth-quarter go-ahead drive, Webb committed pass interference on back-to-back plays, amounting to 34 yards. The first one was only 8 yards but came on a third-and-8 play from the Steelers’ 31-yard line.

Best call: The decision to bench Rudolph in favor of Hodges after the first series of the third quarter.

Worst call: On third-and-5 from the Cincinnati 8 with 3:25 left in the game, Hodges rolled out to the right and threw incomplete into the end zone. A run or short pass there would have kept the clock moving.

Best effort: Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt created pressure on Finley most of the game, despite getting injured. He had a strip sack and a pass deflection.

Unsung heroes: Newly signed Whyte finished with 43 yards rushing on six carries, and newly signed receiver Deon Cain caught one pass for 35 yards and was the beneficiary of one of Webb’s interference calls.

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