Bengals-Steelers Week 10: Live Notes and Updates from the First Half

In one of the most anticipated matchups in Week 10 (along with the Peyton Manning going against Tom Brady in Sunday Night Football), the 6-2 Cincinnati Bengals and the 6-2 Pittsburgh Steelers both look to take control of the AFC North with a win today.

Here are live notes and updates from the first half between the Bengals and Steelers.

First Quarter

14:55—A nice opening kickoff by Bernard Scott for 21 yards to the Steelers 30. Let the battle for bragging rights in the AFC North begin.

14:44—Palmer looks for Laveranues Coles up the middle but William Gay does a great job breaking up the pass, nearly coming away with the interception.

14:37—What a play by Palmer, who finds Chad Ochocinco for 16 yards on a 3rd-and-10 to pick up the first down, the Bengals first of the day.

13:32—Palmer finds wide receiver Andre Caldwell on 2nd-and-6 for an eight-yard gain and another Bengals first down. So far, they have opened the game with five straight passes against the Steelers No. 1 ranked rushing defense.

12:23—For the second time this drive, Gay nearly comes away with an interception off Palmer as he breaks up a pass intended for Coles.

12:17—What a catch by Coles, who brings down a 12-yard pass by Palmer in double coverage and manages to get his feet down before going out of bounds. The replay shows his feet weren't down in time, but Palmer manages to get the play off before Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin can throw the red flag.

10:53—Palmer needs to be more careful with his passes as Ike Taylor knocks down the third pass of the opening drive in on a 3rd-and-14 intended for Ochocinco. Let's see if Bengals kicker Shayne Graham can capitalize on the field goal.

10:49—The kick had the distance, but hits the right upright as Graham misses a 51-yard field goal. So much for the Bengals jumping out to an early 3-0 lead. The Steelers will take over on their own 33.

10:40—Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger drops a quick pass off to wide receiver Santonio Holmes, who moves down the right sideline for 11 yards and a first down. A nice opening play on offense for the Steelers.

8:52—On 3rd-and-1, Mewelde Moore breaks loose and runs for 12 yards and a Steelers first down. 1st-and-10 at the Bengals 27 yard line.

7:42—The Bengals defense gets to Roethlisberger for the first time today as Jonathan Fenene sacks him for a five-yard loss. Big third down coming up now for the Bengals

6:40—On 3rd-and-13, Roethisberger finds an opening and scrambles for a 15-yard gain to the Bengals 15 yard line. So much for the Bengals taking advantage of a 3rd-and-long situation.

4:46—Big play for the Bengals defense on 3rd-and-5 as Chinedum Ndukwe knocks down Roethlisberger's pass. The Steelers are forced to kick the field goal as Jeff Reed nails one from 28 yards to give Pittsburgh a 3-0 lead.

4:26—Wow! Scott takes the kickoff by Reed and returns it 96 yards for the touchdown after a couple of nice moves to find an opening down the left side of the field. The rookie from Abilene Christian records his first career touchdown to give the Bengals the lead, leaving the fans at Heinz Field stunned. Lucky for them, the field goal attempt fails after Kevin Huber bobbles the ball. Instead of leading 7-3, the Bengals settle with a 6-3 lead.

3:36—The Bengals defense gets to Roethlisberger for the second time today as Dhani Jones comes down with the sack, setting up a 3rd-and-14 for the Steelers.

2:57—Roethisberger finds Holmes down the middle and the refs appear to give him a generous spot for the first down. Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis quickly throws out the challenge flag and it pays off. After further review, the refs spot the ball at the 40 instead of the 42, leaving the Steelers with a 4th-and-2 instead of a first down. Looks like the Bengals will be getting the ball back.

2:21—The announcers on CBS just informed the audience that Troy Polamalu will be out for the remainder of the game after tweaking his knee. This could have a huge effect on the outcome of today's game considering Polamalu is arguably the best safety in the league.

1:48—Benson runs for nine yards and a first down on a 2nd-and-8, his longest run of the day so far. The Steelers defense is showing him why they're the best in the league at stopping the run.

00:26—Caldwell hauls in a six-yard reception for the first down and the final play of the first quarter. After one quarter of play, the Bengals lead the Steelers 6-3.

Second Quarter

13:29—What a play by Coles on 3rd-and-3, who uses his quickness to pick up 25 yards down the left side of the field and another Bengals first down.

12:12—On 3rd-and-14, Palmer looks for Caldwell down the middle but fails to connect as he was in double coverage. Instead of a 53-yard field goal, Lewis decides the Bengals are safer punting the ball considering Heinz Field is always a difficult place to kick the ball.

11:55—On the first play of the drive, Steelers tight end Heath Miller breaks a tackle from Jonathan Joseph and gains enough yards for a first down at the Bengals 21 yard line. On the next play, Roethlisberger finds Holmes for an 11-yard gain and another Steelers first down.

10:06—Roethlisberger appears to be sacked for the third time today, but he manages to find Hines Ward for a quick screen pass. Unfortunately, he only gets one yard out of it and the Steelers will face 3rd-and-6.

9:28—The Bengals defense comes through on third down as Roethlisberger fails to find Holmes across the middle of the field. The Steelers are forced to punt once again.

9:06—Ochocinco runs a beautiful route down the middle, but he fails to bring in the pass thrown by Palmer which would have given the Bengals a first down. A few plays later, Palmer overthrows a ball intended for Ochocinco again on third down, forcing the Bengals to punt to the Steelers.

8:05—Stefan Logan provides the Steelers with a nice 25-yard punt return to the Bengals 46 yard line. Should be interesting to see if the Steelers can take advantage of the great field position this drive.

7:41—Rashard Mendenhall opens the drive with a 10-yard run and a first down for the Steelers, helping them get closer to at least field goal range.

7:00—Roethlisberger may be one of the best quarterbacks in the league when it comes to scrambling around before throwing the ball down the field. In what appears to be a lost play, he finds Holmes for a 21-yard pass to move to the Bengals 15.

4:54—The Steelers get lucky as Roethlisberger looks for Holmes in the end zone and almost throws an interception with two Bengals defenders present. A big third down play coming up here.

4:46—Fenene comes up with his second sack of the day for the Bengals, preventing the Steelers from finding the end zone and settling for a field goal. With 4:13 left in the first half, this game has lived up to the hype so far with the Bengals and Steelers tied 6-6.

4:06—Another key injury for this game. This time, it's on the Bengals side as the announcers just told the audience that Benson is questionable to return with a hip strain.

4:02--Okay, so Benson already appears to be back in the game for the Bengals. It's obvious something is wrong with his hip and it shows in his run. If Benson is out, it will be a huge hit for the Bengals.

3:05—The Steelers defense applies the pressure to Palmer and brings him down for the 10-yard loss as James Harrison is credited with the sack. The Bengals are forced to punt again, giving the Steelers less than three minutes to move the ball down field before halftime.

1:55—Roethlisberger looks for Mike Wallace deep down the field, but the pass is incomplete. Along with the incomplete pass, Miller is called for offensive holding, pushing the Steelers back to their own 24-yard line.

1:44--The Steelers catch a huge break as Roethlisberger goes deep to Wallace and draws the pass interference on Ndukwe. The gamble by Roethlisberger results in a 46-yard penalty and puts them deep in Bengals' territory.

00:59—Roethlisberger finds Ward in the middle of the field for another first down. Now the Steelers are looking at a 1st-and-goal at the Bengals 8 yard line.

00:50—What a big play for the Bengals defense as they get to Roethlisberger for the fourth time today. Robert Geathers records his first sack of the day for the Bengals.

00:16—The Bengals catch a break as Holmes is unable to bring the ball down in the end zone on third down, forcing Reed to kick another field goal. A field goal is better than a touchdown any time on defense, and the Bengals have to be pleased that the Steelers' lead in 9-6 instead of 13-6.

00:00—The Bengals decide not to risk anything and just kneel to run the clock out. At halftime, the Bengals trail the Steelers 9-6 in a battle for first place in the AFC North.

Dan Parzych is the founder of WhoDeyBengals.com

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