PITTSBURGH – Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers have been around each other a long time.
So much so that when the Pittsburgh Steelers coach told Rodgers and the rest of the offense it was time to “cut it loose” before Sunday's early-season litmus test against Cincinnati, it didn't really register with the quarterback he's known for 20 years.
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“I feel like he says that every week,” Rodgers said, then added with a laugh, “It's not like, ‘Hey, this week ...’”
The message was not new. The results were another matter.
Rodgers bounced back from a nightmarish performance in a dismal loss to New England by throwing for 292 yards and three touchdowns to outduel Joe Burrow as the Steelers pulled out a 30-27 thriller.
“I think resilience is critical to any, any type of success, whether it’s playing one division game (or) overcoming a loss last week,” McCarthy said.
Pittsburgh (2-1) did both by showcasing the kind of explosiveness Rodgers has said was possible if everyone just settled down and did their jobs.
Rodgers completed 19 of 34 passes, including a 47-yard catch-and-run to massive tight end Darnell Washington that helped set up Chris Boswell’s go-ahead, 33-yard field goal with 2:18 remaining.
The Steelers (2-1) rolled up 411 yards on a revamped Cincinnati defense that had fueled the Bengals' promising start. Jaylen Warren, dealing with a shoulder injury that limited him in practice, had 176 total yards (127 rushing, 49 receiving), numbers that could have been a little bit higher if he hadn't tripped over his own feet while running free inside the Cincinnati 10 in the late going.
Pittsburgh was forced to settle for Boswell's third field goal, giving Burrow and the Bengals plenty of time to respond.
Cincinnati made its way into Steelers territory in the final minute and was on the fringe of kicker Evan McPherson's range when Steelers defensive lineman Derrick Harmon crashed into Burrow. The ball squirted free, and Pittsburgh's Sebastian Joseph-Day fell on it to spoil the Bengals' chances at the franchise's first 3-0 start since 2015.
“Trying to take a shot at the end zone, trying not to take the sack, trying to get the ball out, (and I) fumbled it,” Burrow said.
Bengals lament their missed opportunities
The Bengals' opportunity to stamp themselves as front-runners in the AFC North disappeared with some self-inflicted wounds.
A roughing-the-punter penalty in the third quarter extended a Pittsburgh drive that ended with a touchdown pass from Rodgers to DK Metcalf. Cincinnati's Ke'Shawn Williams later muffed a punt deep in Bengals territory to set up the second of Boswell's three field goals that tied the game at 27 with 8:45 remaining.
“Some games, you just go get your butt kicked and there's not much to say about it,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. “This one, we had our chances. Pittsburgh took advantage of theirs. We didn't take advantage of ours.”
Cincinnati backed up Pittsburgh deep in its territory late in the fourth, but the Steelers responded even after a run of 80-plus yards by Warren was wiped out by a holding penalty on Metcalf.
Rodgers, playing behind a new-look offensive line that included rookie first-round pick Max Iheanachor at right tackle, guided the Steelers 77 yards anyway. Boswell's winner helped Pittsburgh improve to 10-2 in its last 12 games following a loss of 15 points or more.
It also gave the Steelers a dose of belief following an ugly performance against the Patriots in which Rodgers was sacked four times and the line struggled to protect him.
The 42-year-old four-time MVP insisted it was not time to panic. Iheanachor's promotion added a dose of physicality on the line, and Pittsburgh was dynamic. Rodgers hit nine receivers and Warren cut loose for field-flipping runs that were hard to come by during the opening two weeks.
Warren's shoulder was so tender on Saturday that McCarthy advised Rodgers not to throw it to him during a walkthrough. There were no such issues 24 hours later, when Warren's punishing approach helped ignite the Steelers on a day the offense needed to pick up the slack for a defense that let Burrow play pitch-and-catch with Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
Yet with the clock ticking down, Harmon provided Pittsburgh's only sack. He wasn't trying to strip Burrow. It just kind of happened, and Joseph-Day fell on it.
McCarthy had jotted down in his notes this week that Pittsburgh would need 31 points to win. The Steelers fell one shy, not that it mattered.
“We've got to play more sound football than we did today to beat a team like that,” Burrow said.
Injuries
Bengals: LB Demetrius Knight left in the first quarter ... WR Colbie Young (knee) exited in the first half with a knee injury.
Steelers: CB Brandin Eichols was evaluated for a concussion after colliding with Williams during the botched second-half punt return.
Up next
Bengals: At Jacksonville next Sunday.
Steelers: Visit Cleveland on Thursday night.
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