Antonio Brown Catches Late TD to Lift Steelers Past Bengals in Dramatic Victory

The Cincinnati Bengals had a chance to put themselves in the driver's seat of the AFC North.

They didn't get the job done.

Ben Roethlisberger hit Antonio Brown on a 31-yard touchdown with about 10 seconds remaining, giving the Steelers a 28-21 road win at Paul Brown Stadium on Sunday.

Roethlisberger threw for 369 yards and a score, while James Conner added 111 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. The Steelers' game-winning possession was aided by a defensive holding penalty on Dre Kirkpatrick, which extended a drive that could have been facing a 4th-and-10. 

James Conner's Play Makes Le'Veon Expendable

Is Conner as good as Bell? Of course not. Are the Steelers in a better position to contend for a Super Bowl right now with Bell at his peak over Conner? Probably.

Am I sure that it's worth taking the risk to see if it pans out that way? Not anymore.

Conner came through with his third 100-yard rushing game of the season and appears to be coming into his own. The University of Pittsburgh product has 314 total yards and four touchdowns over the last two contests, emerging from the Weeks 2-4 fog that included two sub-20-yard rushing games.

There's no other way to put it: Conner has played like a Pro Bowler over six contests, and Steelers leaders were taking notice even before this week.

"I think James has done some amazing things and deserves to be on the field," Roethlisberger told reporters. "We also know what Le'Veon is and what he brings to the table. I guess we'll cross that bridge if and when it happens."

Conner has played every bit as well as the Steelers would expect Bell to. He's averaging 118.3 yards from scrimmage per game, compared to 129.7 from Bell in 2017. Conner is also on pace to score 18 touchdowns, which would blow away Bell's career high.

There may not be a realistic scenario in which Pittsburgh trades Bell. There aren't many (if any) teams willing to give up what the Steelers would need to make a deal feasible. Allowing Bell to walk in free agency will net a third-round compensatory pick, so the bar would be no less than a second-rounder. 

This isn't an easy situation. After the bye, Bell is expected to return to a locker room that's publicly criticized him and take the place of a back who's producing at an elite level. If there's a way to get out from under the tension and net themselves a high pick, the Steelers should explore the option. 

Steelers Must Get AB More Touches After Clutch TD

Antonio Brown finished with 105 yards receiving and a touchdown. Those are good numbers but also misleading in regard to his overall impact.

Before the Steelers' final two drives, the All-Pro wideout had a grand total of three catches for 26 yards. He'd been targeted only four times.

Roethlisberger put the ball in Brown's hands twice late in the fourth quarter, and he wound up with 79 yards.

The moral of the story: Good things happen when you put the ball in Brown's hands. Perhaps, you know, the team should do it more. Brown's six targets ranked fifth on the Steelers, behind JuJu Smith-Schuster, Conner and both tight ends (Vance McDonald and Jesse James). 

Some of that can be credited to the Bengals defense, but there's something clearly amiss in the Roethlisberger-AB connection. Smith-Schuster has taken advantage of coverages designed to stop Brown. But the Steelers remain at their peak when they're getting their best offensive weapon the ball, and Roethlisberger needs to do a better job of not waiting until the waning moments to do so.

Tyler Boyd Has Become 2nd Star WR for Bengals

Tyler Boyd, who has quietly emerged as an excellent second option next to A.J. Green, has been playing the JuJu role in Cincinnati. He hauled in both of Andy Dalton's touchdown passes Sunday, finishing with 62 yards on seven receptions.

He's become something of a must-start from a fantasy perspective and is on pace for a 98-catch, 1,213-yard campaign even though only a few have taken notice. In his third season out of the University of Pittsburgh, it's clear Boyd has garnered the trust of Dalton and is the 1B option behind Green.

Add in the emergence of Joe Mixon as a dynamic three-down running back, and the Bengals have one of the league's best collectives of skill-position talent. If only tight end Tyler Eifert could stay healthy or Andy Dalton could stop...Andy Daltoning. 

What's Next?

The Steelers head into an important bye week with Le'Veon Bell expected to return. The Bengals travel to Kansas City for a Sunday night game against the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.