SportsDirect Inc. staff
Dec 4, 2011
Ben Roethlisberger threw for a pair of touchdowns and Rashard Mendenhall rushed for two more as the Pittsburgh Steelers trounced the visiting Cincinnati Bengals 35-7 on Sunday.
Antonio Brown returned a punt 60 yards for a touchdown and Mike Wallace caught a pair of scores for the Steelers (9-3), who remained tied with the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North. Baltimore holds the tiebreaker by virtue of a season sweep.
The Bengals (7-5) have dropped three of four to take a big hit to their playoff hopes. Cincinnati plays three of its final four games at home but still has to host the Ravens and the first-place Houston Texans.
Pittsburgh made it look easy Sunday, scoring 28 points in the second quarter to put the game away. Mendenhall capped a nine-play drive with a 3-yard run for the first score and brought it in from 5 yards out on the following drive after a pass interference penalty moved the ball into the red zone.
The Bengals fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and Roethlisberger needed three plays to find Wallace for a 12-yard score.
Another special teams’ gaffe put it away, as Brown caught the punt at the Pittsburgh 40-yard line and beat a host of defenders down the right side to give the Steelers their first punt return touchdown in five years.
A.J. Green caught the lone score for the Bengals. Rookie Andy Dalton struggled to an 11-of-24 passing day before being lifted.