PITTSBURGH -- The Cincinnati Bengals got their first road win of the season on Sunday as they defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-10 at Heinz Field.
After a disappointing offensive performance in Week 2 against the Bears, the Bengals' offense looked much improved. Quarterback Joe Burrow's pocket was clean, running back Joe Mixon had several punishing runs and linebacker Logan Wilson continued to create turnovers for Cincinnati. The Bengals sacked quarterback Ben Roethlisberger four different times and allowed zero on Burrow.
Doc:Beating the Steelers validates Zac Taylor's way of doing things, for now
Bengals dominate Steelers:Cincinnati gets first win in Pittsburgh since 2015
This win was an important one for both head coach Zac Taylor and wide receiver Tyler Boyd who both had yet to beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh. The last time Cincinnati had won in Pittsburgh was in 2015.
Without starting wide receiver Tee Higgins (shoulder) and guard Xavier Su'a-Filo (knee), the Bengals didn't miss a beat offensively. Rookie Jackson Carman started in place of Su'a-Filo at right guard and impressed in his first NFL action.
Here's what we learned from the Bengals' impressive road win:
Joe Burrow looked like the comfortable, confident quarterback he was pre-injury
Heading into Week 3, Joe Burrow had been the second-most sacked quarterback in the NFL. Not only was his protection vastly improved as the offensive line allowed zero sacks on the franchise quarterback, Burrow looked more comfortable than he has all season scrambling around and climbing up in his pocket.
Taylor had a few designed quarterback draw plays for Burrow in the game, one of them resulting in a first down for the Bengals. Burrow realized the Steelers had no linebackers stacked in the box and made a check at the line of scrimmage to the draw play. This play was significant not only because it resulted in a positive play for the Bengals, but it restored confidence in Burrow and his ability to make those kinds of plays.
"It was exciting because coming into this season I didn't know if I was going to be able to do that stuff," Burrow said. "It's exciting for me to feel confident in myself to make that check and execute it."
Burrow finished the game completing 14-of-18 passes for 172 yards and three touchdowns. His quarterback rating was 122.9 while Roethlisberger, an 18-year NFL veteran, finished with a 70.9 rating.
Ja'Marr Chase makes eye-popping play of the day and continues to score touchdowns
Ja'Marr Chase has scored four touchdowns in three games. Cincinnati's first-round pick has more than lived up to the expectations set for himself when the Bengals drafted him with the No. 5 overall pick in this year's draft.
Chase and Burrow connected on a 34-yard deep pass right before the half giving them a 14-7 lead heading into the locker room. Chase's second touchdown came in the third quarter when Burrow found him uncovered in the end zone to extend the lead to 24-7.
According to Burrow, Chase went up to Burrow prior to his first touchdown play and said, "just throw it up to me" and that's exactly what he did. At first. Burrow didn't know if it was going to result in a touchdown because Steelers cornerback James Pierre had good coverage on Chase. But Chase was more physical and won the matchup for the score.
"That's why you draft a guy like that, he makes those plays," Burrow said.
Logan Wilson becoming a takeaway machine for Cincinnati's defense
Bengals' second-year linebacker Logan Wilson continues to create turnovers for Cincinnati. Wilson now has three interceptions on the year and his first interception on quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in the first quarter resulted in a touchdown by Boyd six plays later. Wilson's second interception came in the third quarter when he was roaming the middle of the field and picked off Roethlisberger on third down and returned it 13 yards.
Wilson is Cincinnati's signal-caller on defense and not only is he tasked with making sure everyone is in the right place and lined up properly, he's consistently making the spark plays. It shouldn't be understated how important Wilson has become to the Bengals.
"I know his value to this team," Taylor said of how important he's become to the defense. "The team knows his value. He quietly just steps up and just makes tremendous play after tremendous play and I couldn’t say if he gets the respect he deserves nationally but he’s going to be a great player in this league for a long time and we’re really glad to have him."
