Bengals @ Steelers · Week 3

WEEK 3 · FINAL

THE READ

Bengals run away with it, 56-35

Cincinnati dismantled Pittsburgh 56-35 behind Matthew Stafford's 5 touchdown passes and Chase Brown's 247 rushing yards on 20 carries. The Bengals controlled the line of scrimmage, outgaining the Steelers 594 yards to 418, and Pittsburgh's 4 turnovers proved fatal. Kyler Murray threw 4 touchdowns for Pittsburgh but it wasn't enough against a Cincinnati offense that moved at will.

Caleb Brooks Beat reporter

THE WIDER PICTURE

Team	SRS	SOS	MARGIN	TO +/-
Bengals	+1.6	+4.0	-2.4	-3
Steelers	-1.7	-6.7	+5.0	+12

SRS is how many points a side beats an average team by once you account for who they played — beat a good team by 3 and it counts for more than beating a bad one by 20. SOS is how hard that schedule has been. Full table.

Steelers — AFC #6 · 6-2 Bengals — in the hunt · 4-4 Playoff picture →

IN THE BOOTH

Zoe Bell The contrarian

Cincinnati came out and beat Pittsburgh the way you beat somebody when you've decided the game is over before it starts—that 56-35 scoreline is honestly flattering to what Pittsburgh's defense had to watch. Kyler Murray threw 4 touchdowns and it didn't matter because Chase Brown ran for 247 yards and 3 more, and when your backfield is moving the ball like that on the ground, the entire operation becomes something the other team can't solve.

They only ever read the box score and this league's own numbers — none of them has a source, and none of them can report anything that did not happen.

Matthew Stafford

Bengals

8/19, 347 yards, 5 TD, 2 INT

Kyler Murray

Steelers

21/41, 318 yards, 4 TD, 3 INT

Chase Brown

Bengals

20 carries, 247 yards, 3 TD

THE STORY SO FAR

⭐ Justin Jefferson has not had a better afternoon this season.

⭐ Matthew Stafford has not had a better afternoon this season.

⭐ Chase Brown has not had a better afternoon this season.

⭐ Ja'Marr Chase has not had a better afternoon this season.

WHAT DECIDED IT

Total yards Bengals 594, Steelers 418 Bengals

On the ground Bengals 247, Steelers 100 Bengals

Through the air Bengals 347, Steelers 318 Bengals

Giveaways Steelers 4, Bengals 2 Bengals

THE ROOM Final. The recap is below.

📺 THE WEEK 3 SHOW this game is in the week's show ▶ Watch the show

THE MATCHUP SCOUT every number below is counted from the export or read off the roster — nothing is inferred about playcalling

LEAGUE DATA counted by Madden, and arithmetic on top of it

Pass-heavy Pass 63% · Rush 37% · 34.8 scored, 37.1 allowed

10.4 yds/att 59.0% completions 7.5 yds/carry 412.8 yds/game 2.6 giveaways/game 6.3% sack rate last 5: 3-2

Primary weapon: Ja'Marr Chase WR — 35% of the receiving yards · DEPENDENCY HIGH

SAPPHIRE METRICS QB efficiency 64 · Aggressive Balance 87 Ball security 26 Back usage 35% QB runs 0.8/game

Most exposed: ball security -- 2.6 giveaways a game

PERSONNEL off the roster — unit averages, best starters only

QB 99 WR 88 TE 77 RB 80 OL 78 DL 88 LB 71 DB 82

Best: Ja'Marr Chase WR 99 Fastest: Ja'Marr Chase WR 96 SPD 8 at star dev or better

YOUR NOTEBOOK what you wrote about them — private, and never a Sapphire statistic

HOW THEY PLAY the man, not the franchise — only weeks the record attributes to him, this season

Backendwop

Steelers · his last 8 games

Runs it One back

Pass / run53% / 47% Points for / against37.1 — 32.1 Margin+5.0 Giveaways a game1.6 Sacks taken4.6% of dropbacks Lead backJahmyr Gibbs · 17.9/g Top targetRicky Pearsall · 27% QB carries2.8 a game

Emmitt1k300

Bengals · his last 8 games

Throws it Gives it away One back

Pass / run63% / 37% Points for / against34.8 — 37.1 Margin-2.4 Giveaways a game2.6 Sacks taken6.3% of dropbacks Lead backChase Brown · 15.1/g Top targetJa'Marr Chase · 35% QB carries0.6 a game

Counted from the weeks each man actually held his team — so a franchise that changed hands is not credited to whoever has it now. Nothing above is a playcall: the export does not carry those, and neither does this.

THE SERIES Emmitt1k300 against Backendwop — the men, not the teams

Emmitt1k300 leads it 1-0. Emmitt1k300 won the last one.

1 meeting avg 56.0 — 35.0 biggest: 21 pts to Emmitt1k300

S1 · week 3 Emmitt1k300 56 — 35 Backendwop EMMITT1K300

Only meetings Sapphire can attribute to both men are counted — a Madden export never says who owned a team last season, so the series starts where the record does.

MATCHUP ADVANTAGES unit averages against each other — inside three points is a push

Bengals receivers vs Steelers secondary 88 v 86 EVEN

Steelers receivers vs Bengals secondary 87 v 82 STEELERS

Bengals line vs Steelers front 78 v 84 STEELERS

Steelers line vs Bengals front 75 v 88 BENGALS

Bengals backs vs Steelers run defence 80 v 82 EVEN

Steelers backs vs Bengals run defence 91 v 82 STEELERS

Bengals passer vs Steelers secondary 99 v 86 BENGALS

Steelers passer vs Bengals secondary 79 v 82 BENGALS

TOP PERFORMERS

Matthew Stafford QB Bengals 347 pass yds

Kyler Murray QB Steelers 318 pass yds

Chase Brown HB Bengals 247 rush yds

Ja'Marr Chase WR Bengals 185 rec yds

Justin Jefferson WR Steelers 146 rec yds

Tee Higgins WR Bengals 123 rec yds

Ricky Pearsall WR Steelers 115 rec yds

Darnell Washington TE Steelers 114 rec yds

Quentin Johnston WR Steelers 85 rec yds

Jahmyr Gibbs HB Steelers 59 rush yds

🎬 The Game Recap
this game as an episode -- the score, the stars, the numbers that decided it -- and a video you can post ›

BOX SCORE

BENGALS

PLAYER	C/ATT	YDS	TD	INT	SCK	LNG	RTG
Matthew Stafford QB	8/19	347	5	2	2	89	89.2

STEELERS

PLAYER	C/ATT	YDS	TD	INT	SCK	LNG	RTG
Kyler Murray QB	21/41	318	4	3	0	31	79.1

BENGALS

PLAYER	CAR	YDS	AVG	TD	BTK	YAC	LNG	FUM
Chase Brown HB	20	247	12.3	3	1	24	71	0
Tee Higgins WR	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0

STEELERS

PLAYER	CAR	YDS	AVG	TD	BTK	YAC	LNG	FUM
Jahmyr Gibbs HB	15	59	3.9	0	2	10	13	0
Kyler Murray QB	5	41	8.2	1	0	3	27	1
Kaleb Johnson HB	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0

BENGALS

PLAYER	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	YAC	LNG
Ja'Marr Chase WR	4	185	46.2	3	84	89
Tee Higgins WR	2	123	61.5	2	82	83
Mike Gesicki TE	1	20	20	0	1	20
Chase Brown HB	1	19	19	0	0	19

STEELERS

PLAYER	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	YAC	DRP	LNG
Justin Jefferson WR	15	146	9.7	2	85	0	35
Ricky Pearsall WR	5	115	23	0	43	0	49
Darnell Washington TE	7	114	16.3	1	51	1	28
Quentin Johnston WR	6	85	14.2	1	28	0	22
Jahmyr Gibbs HB	3	34	11.3	0	41	0	17
Michael Pittman WR	1	31	31	1	13	0	31

BENGALS

PLAYER	TKL	INT	PD	FF
Kyle Dugger SS	5	1	2	0
Dax Hill CB	3	1	1	0
DJ Turner II CB	3	0	0	0
Tacario Davis CB	2	0	0	0
Bryan Cook FS	2	0	1	0
Ja'Sir Taylor CB	2	0	0	0
B.J. Hill DT	1	0	0	0
Cashius Howell LEDG	1	0	0	0
Daijahn Anthony FS	1	0	0	0
Dominique Hampton WILL	0	0	2	1
Jordan Battle SS	0	1	2	0

STEELERS

PLAYER	TKL	SCK	INT	PD
Joey Porter CB	2	0	1	0
Malik Harrison MIKE	2	1	0	0
Robert Spears-Jennings FS	2	0	0	1
Jaquan Brisker SS	2	0	0	1
Marshon Lattimore CB	2	0	0	0
Jalen Ramsey CB	1	0	0	0
Devin White WILL	1	0	1	0
Patrick Queen MIKE	1	0	0	0
Sebastian Joseph-Day DT	1	1	0	0
Elandon Roberts MIKE	1	0	0	0
Will Lee III CB	1	0	0	0

RECENT FORM

Bengals

L 24–38 vs Texans WK 2

L 0–35 vs Buccaneers WK 1

Steelers

W 49–42 vs Patriots WK 2

W 63–56 vs Falcons WK 1

TEAM STATS

Bengals		Steelers
594	TOTAL YARDS	418
347	PASSING YARDS	318
247	RUSHING YARDS	100
2	SACKS ALLOWED	0
0	SACKS MADE	2
2	GIVEAWAYS	4
4	TAKEAWAYS	2

Bold is the side that won that line. Giveaways come off a team's own offensive rows and takeaways off its own defensive rows — two separate payloads, so they need not tie out against each other.

ALL-TIME HEAD-TO-HEAD

1 BENGALS — 0 STEELERS

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