The Cincinnati Bengals and the Pittsburgh Steelers faced off in their first AFC North clash of the season at Paul Brown Stadium on Monday night.
Both teams were looking to avoid to falling to 0-2 after sustaining defeats on the opening day of the season.
The Bengals came out on top in a close contest thanks to two touchdowns from rookie Giovani Bernard, as his side moved to 1-1 in their campaign.
See how all the action unfolded in our commentary below.
Good morning and welcome to the live commentary of the AFC North clash between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
We're set for an entertaining clash between two fierce rivals at Paul Brown Stadium as they both look to get off the mark this season.
The Bengals opened their season with a 24-21 defeat to the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field despite leading for the majority of the game. Head coach Marvin Lewis will be looking to put that right with a win over their divisional rivals tonight.
Pittsburgh will also be looking to right their ship following their opening-day defeat to the Tennessee Titans. Ben Roethlisberger's offense struggled against the Titans' defense as he could only muster seven points throughout the 60 minutes, they will be looking for more from Big Ben and his men today.
BENGALS INACTIVES: Ghee, Pollak, Burkhead, Sanzenbacher, Hawkinson, Charles, Hunt
STEELERS INACTIVES: Bell, Allen, Miller, Jones, Graham, Brown, Wallace
Good news for the Bengals as left tackle Andrew Whitworth is active for the first time this season after missing the first game of the campaign with a knee injury. He will slot back into the team ahead of Anthony Collins to protect Andy Dalton's blindside. Lewis goes without full-back Orson Charles for this game, which may be game plan related, while Estonian defensive end Margus Hunt also misses out.
The Steelers are without cornerbacks Cortez Allen and Curtis Brown. That leaves them short of defensive backs for the game, so that could be something to monitor throughout if they pick up any more injuries. Tight end Heath Miller still isn't fit so he misses out, which is a big blow to Roethlisberger's offense.
Pittsburgh are also missing centre Maurkice Pouncey after he tore his ACL against the Titans. He will miss the rest of the season and it can't be understated how much of a blow that is to the Steelers. Fernando Velasco will take his place in the offensive line tonight.
This match is contested by two of the best defenses in the NFL. It will be interesting to see how both teams try to match up with another. All-Pro defensive tackle Geno Atkins could be line for a big day for the Bengals with Pouncey out, Velasco will have to step up if the Steelers are to get any offensive output tonight.
On the Bengals offense Dalton has one of the easiest jobs in football as long as he is given time to find wide receiver AJ Green. The two combined for two touchdowns last week, if they do the same today they could be in line for their first victory of the season.
Linebacker James Harrison faces the Steelers for the first time since being released by the club in March. He was immediately snapped by the Bengals after nine years in Pittsburgh and he has promised a big show tonight against his old club. He is usually a man who delivers on his promises, so look out Roethlisberger.
One area in which the Bengals could also attack the Steelers is with their two tight ends. They've modelled their system on the one used by the New England Patriots in the last few years and with the addition of Tyler Eifert alongside Jermaine Gresham, they boast one of the best tandems in the NFL. Look out for them tonight.
There is a minute's silence at Paul Brown Stadium following the fatal shootings of 12 people in Washington today, which has delayed kickoff slightly.
COIN TOSS RESULT: The Bengals have won the coin toss and have deferred to receive the ball in the second half, meaning the Steelers will open things up tonight on offense.
Nugent kicks off and Felix Jones gets a good return as he takes the ball to the 35 before he is brought down.
The Steelers' first drive is over in a flash as they opt to run the ball three times with Jones, he gets a yard on first but is stopped for no gain by Domata Peko on second. The Bengals bring a blitz on third and Roethlisberger hands off to Jones on a draw and he gets four yards before he's brought down again.
The Bengals go three and out as Dalton misses a wide open Eifert on third down as he throws the ball over his head. On first BenJarvus Green-Ellis got five yards with a decent run, there could be something there for the Bengals if they run the ball.
Antonio Brown rips off a big return for the Steelers as he collects a punt at his own 30 and takes the ball to the Bengals 35, setting up Big Ben in good field position.
FIELD GOAL STEELERS!
The Steelers get on the board as Shaun Suisham kicks them into the lead with a 44-yard field goal. Big Ben's drive was stalled when he was sacked for a six-yard loss by Peko and Carlos Dunlap forcing the visitors to go for three.
Suisham's kick is field by the return man and Dalton will begin at the 20.
The Bengals pick up their first, first down as Dalton finds Green on a curl route for a short completion after picking him out on second for eight yards. We'll see that a lot tonight.
Green-Ellis finds a hole in the Steelers defense and powers up the middle to pick up the first down, but he's hauled down by Ike Taylor before he can go any further.
Dalton's drive is ended as he can't find Gresham on third down as he throws the ball too high again. That's the second time he's failed to find one of his tight end's on third down for that reason. A big penalty on guard Kevin Zeitler for a false start made the conversion a lot harder than it should have been.
A good punt by Huber pins the Steelers at their own six.
Roethlisbeger does well to find Brown on second with short completion and the receiver beats his man to pick up the first down, to get his side some breathing space.
Jones finds a hole and drives his feet to pick up the first for four yards after Roethlisberger ran for six himself on first after a play broke down. That was classic Ben.
Big penalty on Bengals cornerback Adam Jones as he his flagged for pass interference for 25 yards on Brown. That moves the Steelers to the 50.
Roethlisberger hits his tight end David Paulson for a huge gain, but the ball comes loose but the officials rule him down by contact. The ball looks to have come out beforehand and Lewis throws his challenge flag.
FUMBLE CONFIRMED!
Yes the ball did come and the Bengals gathered it at their own 13. Dalton and co will take over. What a reprieve for the Bengals.
Bernard runs over left guard and picks the first down with speed as no Steeler player can bring him down before he crosses the marker.
Dalton hits a wide open Eifert for a huge gain down the seam, he runs all the way to the Pittsburgh 13 for a 61-yard completion. Much better from the Bengals.
TOUCHDOWN BENGALS!
Bernard goes over into the endzone on a seven-yard run through the middle of the Steelers defense to give his side the lead. That was an excellent run, which included speed and a bit of power when he needed it.
Big Ben will begin at the 20 after Nugent kicks the ball out of the endzone.
Another three and out for the Steelers as Roethlisberger tried to find Cotchery on second and third but the receiver wasn't paying attention to his quarterback and both plays fell incomplete. The Steelers offensive struggles are continuing tonight.
Zoltan Mesko punts to Brandon Tate and he takes the ball to his own 42, where Dalton will begin.
Dalton finds Mohamed Sanu on a screen pass and he picks up 14 yards which takes them just short of the first down marker after Gresham was penalised for a false start.
END OF FIRST QUARTER: Cincinnati Bengals 7-3 Pittsburgh Steelers
Green-Ellis picks up the first down and a lot more with a 14-yard run as he beats several tackle before he's brought down on the Pittsburgh 35.
Marvin Jones does well to pick up yet another first down for the Bengals. He gets the ball on screen pickup and beats the challenge of Ike Taylor before makes the yardage and gets pushed out of bounds at the 23.
FIELD GOAL BENGALS!
Nugent knocks one through the posts from 41 yards to extend his side's lead after their drive came to an end when the Steelers brought the blitz on third down and Dalton's pass to Sanu fell incomplete.
The Steelers will start at the 20 after Nugent kicks the ball out of the endzone.
Another three and out for the Steelers. Ben goes long for Brown on first down and the ball falls incomplete and then on third and long he throws a similar pass to Cotchery, who is well covered with the same result. Some questionable play calling at the moment from Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Todd Haley.
Two good passes from Dalton under pressure help his side pick up another first down as he finds Gresham then Sanu on short routes. The Bengals are starting to pick up some rhythm now.
The Steelers defense tightens up and forces a three an out Dalton fails to find Sanu down the seam on third down under good coverage from Shamarko Thomas. Huber's punt is fair caught by Brown at the Steelers 16.
Roethlisberger finds Brown on a curl route for nine yards then Jones picks up a few more on the ground for the Steelers first, first down in an age. They need more of those short pickups in the passing game tonight.
Another big gain as Roethlisberger throws a screen pass to Brown and he weaves his way in and out of defenders before he finally goes down on the Pittsburgh 45. Some momentum for the Steelers finally.
All that momentum is gone as Roethlisberger throws an incompletion in the direction of, yes, Cotchery on a fade route down the left-hand sideline. Just before that Cotchery had been stopped on a endaround for a loss of five yards, again questionable play calling from Haley.
The Bengals give the ball straight back to the Steelers as they go three and out as Dalton can't find Green on third down. The quarterbacks tonight are not in great rhythm, we've come to expect better of these two over the last few seasons.
A big completion for the Steelers on third down as Roethlisberger throws to Sanders on a deep dig route as the receiver cuts infield to beat the defensive back to the ball. He moves his side to the Bengals 44 with a 19-yard completion.
Roethlisberger goes straight back to Sanders on a post route over the middle again. He beats his man and runs straight towards the endzone but his heels are clipped right before he gets there and he is grounded on the Bengals 1 after a 43-yard completion.
TOUCHDOWN STEELERS!
The Steelers draw themselves level as Roethlisberger finds Derek Moye on a fade route on the right-hand side of the endzone and he takes a good catch over cornerback Leon Hall. Suisham kicks the extra point.
Jarvis Jones decks Tate at the 14-yard line on the Bengals return and that's where Dalton and co will start again.
Dalton gets his side moving as he finds Green on a curl route and then Green-Ellis powers for the first down over right guard Zeitler. A field goal could be on the cards for the Bengals here.
Dalton is under pressure on second down but he evades the rush and dumps the ball off to Gresham, who beats a challenge and goes out of bounds, to kill the clock at the Bengals 40.
Dalton does well on third again as he finds Eifert for five yards to pick up the first down to move to the Pittsburgh 48.
The Bengals can't pick up another first down and they may be forced into going for a long field goal or try a Hail Mary to get a touchdown.
They're going for Hail Mary!
INCOMPLETE! That was so close! Dalton lobbed the ball up in the air and Sanu almost came down with the ball but Taylor was there to knock the ball out of his hands. A great defensive play.
HALF-TIME: Cincinnati Bengals 10-10 Pittsburgh Steelers
That's is half time in our AFC North clash. The Bengals came so close to regaining the lead with that Hail Mary at the end of the half but they just couldn't quite come up with the ball in the endzone.
It has been a half of poor execution from both offenses although both teams have had their moments. The Bengals should put a lot more on the shoulders on rookie Gio Bernard as he has been excellent in his time on the field, as he scored their touchdown. This would also take the heat off Dalton, who has been very inaccurate at times.
The Steelers have been just as bad bar a few plays towards the end of the half when Roethlisberger found Emmanuel Sanders on back-to-back plays for big gains and then Moye in the endzone. Apart from that the play calling has been questionable and the use of Jericho Cotchery even more puzzling.
Some stats now and Dalton has completed just half of his passes in the opening two quarters as he is 16 of 32 for zero touchdowns. Whereas Roethlisberger is 9 of 16 for one touchdown. Felix Jones has carried the ball 10 times for 37 yards while Bengals running back Green-Ellis has 34 yards on seven carries and Bernard has 19 yards on three, including a touchdown.
The Bengals will open on their 20 as Suisham's kick is fielded in the endzone by Tate.
The home side begin the third quarter with a three and out as Woodley gets pressure on Dalton after beating right tackle Andre Smith and forces an incompletion. Pittsburgh will begin on the 32 after Huber's kick is caught by Brown for a fair catch.
A big penalty on the Steelers as Marcus Gilbert is penalised for clipping erasing a 33-yard gain by Brown. On the next play Roethlisberger is sacked for a huge loss by Atkins. That could be a huge moment in this game.
Dalton finds Gresham on a curl route as he sits in between two defenders and catches the ball and runs 26 yards to the Pittsburgh 49 before he is brought down by Troy Polamalu.
Another big pickup by the Bengals this time on third and one as Green-Ellis gets behind a block from Peko to pick up a crucial yard.
Dalton takes an absolute pounding by Woodley as he tried to pull off a play-action fake, he got the ball away to Gresham in the flat to pick up a first down.
TOUCHDOWN BENGALS!
The Bengals regain their lead and it's all down to Bernard as Dalton finds him on a drop off pass and he uses his pace to beat three defenders turning the corner before reaching the endzone for a 27-yard touchdown.
The Steelers go three and out again as Jones is stacked up on the line for a loss by Atkins and Peko in the middle of the Bengals defense. Roethlisberger had earlier tried a screen pass to Sanders that was blown by Cincinnati.
Dalton has his offense rolling again as Bernard picks up five on the ground and then the quarterback hits Green for 10 yards and a first down on a curl route.
Dalton is forced to scramble on third and 10 and can only pick up five yards. A penalty on Gresham killed the drive after Bernard had done well to secure what he thought was a third down. There have been too many penalties for the Bengals, that was their seventh of the night.
Roethlisberger is forced into two incompletions and that will be that for the third quarter.
END OF THIRD QUARTER: Cincinnati Bengals 17-10 Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers drive comes to an end as Roethlisberger is hurried yet again and can't find an open man leading to another incompletion. Mesko's punt is field by Tate and he gets to the Bengals 36.
The Bengals pick up a first down as Dalton goes over the middle for Sanu and he does well to hang on to the ball after taking a hit from Clark. Cincinnati advance to their 50.
Dalton looks in a rhythm now and bounces back from a miscommunication with Green to fire a strike to Marvin Jones to pick up the first on an out route on the right-hand sideline for 12-yards, moving the Bengals to the Pittsburgh 29.
Green-Ellis this time gets a big pickup for the Bengals as he gets the vital yard they need to convert on third down. This drive is very important in the context of the game, if the Bengals can score they can put the Steelers away here.
The Bengals get a big break on third down as LaMarr Woodley jumps offside and hands them another first down. They move to the 10 and first and goal.
A big stand from the Steelers defense on their 10-yard line as they stop Dalton from finding the endzone as Taylor deflects the ball away from Green and Keisel gets his hands up in the defensive line to turn the ball away from Marvin Jones.
FIELD GOAL BENGALS!
Nugent kicks the ball through the posts from 25 yards out and makes it a 10-point game. The next possession from Pittsburgh is crucial and they will begin at their 18.
Roethlisberger finally finds Cotchery on an out route and he drives his side to their own 40 with a 20-yard pick up, that's his first reception of the night.
Roethlisberger looks in a rhythm now but his offense catch a break when Dunlap is penalised for entering the neutral zone and the next play Ben finds Cotchery again for five yards to pick up the first down.
The Steelers are rolling now as Roethlisberger finds Paulson in all kinds of space and he goes another 14 for a first down to take his side to the Bengals' 35.
INTERCEPTION BENGALS!
Reggie Nelson comes up with a huge turnover as Roethlisberger tries to find Cotchery but the ball bounces off his hands and Nelson makes the catch and runs back to the Bengals' 13.
Green-Ellis runs for two yards as the Bengals attempt to kill the clock, this forces Steelers coach Mike Tomlin to use one of his three timeouts.
A huge pickup of a first down by Green-Ellis as he takes a hit two yards short of the marker but he keeps his legs moving and powers to reach the first down despite the attentions of two Steelers defenders.
The Bengals are aided with a reckless penalty by Woodley as he comes in with a late hit and gives the home side another first down and it moves them another 15 yards down the field.
We're at the two minute warning and the Bengals are doing an excellent job of killing the clock, mind you they're being aided by some reckless play from the Steelers. They look frustrated and they are letting their anger boil over.
The Steelers take their final time out as the Bengals can't reach the 21 yards they needed to secure the first down and the game. Roethlisberger will have one last chance to try and do something special here.
Roethlisberger completes a huge pass downfield for Cotchery but the Steelers are running out of time as they are only at the Bengals 34 with 23 seconds left in the game.
Roethlisberger completes a strike over the middle for Brown but he can't get out of bounds and the clock rolls to zero before he can snap the ball again.
BENGALS WIN!
FULL-TIME: Cincinnati Bengals 20-10 Pittsburgh Steelers
The Bengals earn their first win of the season as they overcome the Steelers in a hard fought victory at Paul Brown Stadium thanks to two touchdowns from rookie Gio Bernard.
The rookie running back was the difference between the sides as he showed pace and power to go over for his scores. He showed the Steelers exactly what they were missing at running back.
The Steelers now fall to 0-2 for just the fifth time in 25 seasons. They missed the playoffs last year and look a decent bet to miss them again as their offense looks a mess at the moment as Roethlisberger cut a very frustrated figure tonight.
Cincinnati will now go into their game against the Green Bay Packers with some confidence, while the Steelers look likely to fall to 0-3 against the impressive Chicago Bears.
Thanks for joining our live commentary. We'll be back on Friday morning with more NFL action, when the Philadelphia Eagles take on the Kansas City Chiefs. Until then, goodbye
Written by
Simon Sinclair
Simon Sinclair
