Steelers vs. Bengals, Week 3: 1st quarter in-game update

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals were both coming off Week 2 losses, the Steelers to the Las Vegas Raiders and the Bengals to the Chicago Bears, and both were looking to get back on the right track in Week 3 at Heinz Field.

The Steelers were without T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Diontae Johnson, but the Bengals were also without wide receiver Tee Higgins. Nonetheless, the Bengals won the coin toss, and elected to defer their possession to the second half.

That meant Ben Roethlisberger and company started with the ball on their own 20-yard line, and they weren’t able to even muster a first down before Pressley Harvin III was called on to duty. Joe Burrow and the Bengals’ offense took over at the 41-yard line, but they too weren’t able to get a first down before sending the ball back to the Steelers.

On the Steelers’ ensuing drive, it was penalties which plagued the drive, again. Offensive pass interference on Chase Claypool and holding on Kendrick Green equated in another Harvin punt. On the Bengals’ second play of the drive, Burrow’s pass Minkah Fitzpatrick tipped the ball into the air, and it was intercepted by Terrell Edmunds, the first interception by the defense of the season.

Starting on the 45-yard line, another offensive penalty saw the offense face a 3rd and 13, and when Roethlisberger was hit while throwing the ball was intercepted by the Cincinnati defense. Two third down conversions equated to a Burrow touchdown pass to Tyler Boyd for the first points of the game. The Bengals led 7-0 with 2:54 left in the first quarter.

The Steelers have the ball near midfield at the end of the first quarter.