Top Five Bengals Defensive Plays Against The Pittsburgh Steelers

We should make one point clear about this week's list of the Cincinnati Bengals top-five defensive plays against the Pittsburgh Steelers: The list is weak, very weak. Plays that made this week's list are probably absent from most weeks. Additionally we elected to ditch the second half entirely due to the team's rather significant deficit that they were never able to overcome -- even following a three and out, a touchdown and a missed field goal, there wasn't much to offer before the Steelers went into total conservative clock-killing mode. Hopefully you read this before deciding to remove all history and memory of Sunday's game by clearing your browser cache... and then dropping your computer into an active Volcano (you know, just to make sure).

Following a Rashard Mendenhall three-yard burst to start the game, the Steelers line up with seven yards to go on second down from their own 20-yard line. As soon as Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger takes the snap, he fires to his left where Mike Wallace drops back to haul in the bubble screen reception.

Bengals cornerback Adam Jones fights through a Heath Miller block and wraps Wallace around the waist before slinging him to the ground for a three-yard loss. The Steelers would eventually punt one play later without recording a first down. Notes written at the time during the game: "Wow. A three and out. We might make something of this game."

The game was still scoreless and the Steelers had possession with 8:42 remaining in the first quarter. Mike Wallace lines up wide right and takes off on a deep in-route over the middle with Kelly Jennings covering the zone -- once Wallace moved towards the middle of the field, Jennings let him go. Feeling the pressure inside the pocket, Roethlisberger steps up and finds Wallace on a crossing route for a 20-yard reception.

Except it wasn't.

Once Wallace hauled in the reception, Adam Jones dropped a vicious shoulder into Mike Wallace, jarring the football out of Wallace's grip for an incomplete pass.

On the very next play Rashard Mendenhall took the handoff from Ben Roethlisberger. Rey Maualuga did what Rey Maualuga does. Find a hole and hit it really hard no matter how far away he is from the actual point of attack. Maualuga's blind rage into a living body actually worked out for defensive end Frostee Rucker.

At the snap Rucker watched as the blockers in front of him ignored him, often meaning one of two things. The play is going away from you or that a trap block is coming. Heath Miller arrived but not before Maualuga ran into him, knocking himself out of the play. The move however freed Rucker up to make the tackle virtually unopposed for a limited one-yard gain.

Defensive linemen are supposed to free up linebackers, not the other way around. But whatever.

The Steelers sat comfortably with a 14-point lead with over four minutes remaining in the first half. Ben Roethlisberger settles under center on first and ten from their own 20-yard line. Roethlisberger fakes the handoff to running back Isaac Redman and steps up into the pocket after feeling some heat from defensive tackle Geno Atkins.

Domata Peko, more of a stationary target that simply doesn't move, even during pass rushing situations, spots Roethlisberger's panicked feet shuffling near, chipping off the block for a five-yard loss on the quarterback sack.

Following a 12-yard pass to Hines Ward and a six-yard reception by Emmanuel Sanders, the Steelers manage to minimize Peko's quarterback sack by registering a first down at their own 33-yard line with 2:28 remaining in the first half.

As soon as the football was snapped on first down, Michael Johnson lowered his shoulder, using his left arm to rip through Max Starks' block giving himself a free shot on Roethlisberger.

Unable to recover the Steelers eventually punted the football with 1:58 remaining in the second quarter.