Steelers vs. Bengals, Week 2: Giovani Bernard leads Cincinnati to 20-10 win over Pittsburgh

Despite all the struggles for the Steelers, the score never got out of hand during their Monday Night Football loss. While handily defeated by the Bengals in every statistical category, the two teams were tied at halftime, 10-10, and a fourth-quarter drive by the Steelers had the team in position to cut the score to 20-17. However, Roethlisberger threw an interception that essentially clinched the team’s fate with five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

As is the case with every team that struggles to score points, the blame is instantly directed at the quarterback and offensive coordinator, but in the case of the Steelers that might be misplaced. Nothing has been more ineffective than the team’s rushing attack which is tough to blame on Roethlisberger or Todd Haley.

The loss dropped Pittsburgh to 0-2.

Roethlisberger threw one touchdown, but finished the game with just 251 passing yards and an interception. A good chunk of his passing yards came on the final possession.

Pittsburgh struggled to a 10-point offensive output on Monday Night Football in Week 2. Roethlisberger didn’t get a ton of help from the players around him, but he also threw an interception that helped the Bengals secure the victory.

Roethlisberger has to shoulder some of the blame for this one.

It ended with Marvin Lewis getting a free piggyback ride from Polamalu:

Johnson was evaluated for a concussion on the sidelines and was cleared to return for the game, according to NFL Around the League and the game broadcast.

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Niether team played its best football in the first half, and that had more to do with poor offensive execution than anything else.

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Bootsy Collins, the incredibly funky bassist for George Clinton with Parliament-Funkadelic, is a Cincinnati native. And yes, when he goes to Bengals games, he wears pretty much exactly the same thing he wears the rest of the time:

He’s got his typical crazy hat and star-sequined glasses combo, except he’s brought along the orange-and-black tiger-striped bandana to support the Bengals.

The Steelers were evaluating Redman for a possible concussion on the sidelines. Redman didn’t have a single rushing attempt before exiting the game.

Update: Redman has been cleared to return.

Before the 2013 regular season began, the Steelers already faced concerns about aging players on the roster and personnel moves that left the team looking a bit thin overall. Despite the looming shadow, however, it was hard for anyone to consider the possibility of another subpar season for Mike Tomlin’s team. Going back to the turn of the millenium, the Steelers have never had consecutive seasons with single-digit wins.

Consider that incredible run. Every team has a down year, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are no exception. Yet every time, the team bounces back with a double-digit win campaign. In 2000, they won nine games and then 13 the next season. In 2003, they fell to 6-10, then went 15-1 the very next year. In 2006, the team fell to 8-8 but went back to 10-6 immediately after. Finally in 2009, the Steelers slipped to 9-7 and then went on to consecutive 12-4 seasons. Now after an 8-8 season, fans want to know which direction the graph will point.

Here is the complete list of inactives.

TE Orson Charles, WR Dane Sanzenbacher, CB Brandon Ghee, RB Rex Burkhead, OL Tanner Hawkinson, OG Mike Pollak and DE Margus Hunt.

Week 2 is nearly wrapped up. Monday Night Football can oftentimes be a moment for fantasy owners to respond to a scoring deficit or seal a win in their weekly match up. Whatever your situation might be, we’re here to break down that fantasy potential of both Bengals and Steelers players as the division rivals face one another in Cincinnati for Week 2.

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It appears as though the tide may have finally turned.

If the Bengals are going to get the proverbial monkey off their back, then it’s going to have to continue on Monday night against the Steelers in Cincinnati. If they can’t win on that stage, then maybe this is a curse that will never end.

AFC North rivals, the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers will renew their series on Monday Night Football in Week 2. The Bengals will host the Steelers in their home opener after a 24-21 loss to the Bears on the road in Week 1. The Steelers will make their first road trip of the season to Cincinnati, following a 16-9 loss against the Tennessee Titans at home.

The entire AFC North is wide open after all four members of the division lost in Week 1. The winner of this contest will be tied in first place with the winner of the other Week 2 AFC North matchup featuring the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns. The Bengals are 7.5-point favorites at home against the Steelers, according to OddsShark.com.

The Cincinnati Bengals have lost five of six against the Pittsburgh Steelers and covered the spread just once during that three-year span. Oddsmakers believe they can turn that around when they host the Steelers on Monday night, however.

The Bengals were a 6.5-point home favorite early Monday with a total of 40.5, according to SB Nation’s lines provider, OddsShark.com. Both numbers remained fairly constant during the week.