PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mason Rudolph and embattled receiver George Pickens connected for two long touchdowns, and the Pittsburgh Steelers kept their fading playoff…
Mason Rudolph and embattled receiver George Pickens connected for two long touchdowns, and the Pittsburgh Steelers kept their fading playoff hopes alive, beating the Cincinnati Bengals 34-11 on Saturday.
Rudolph, making his first start in two years in place of the injured Kenny Pickett and the ineffective Mitch Trubisky, hit Pickens for an 86-yard catch-and-run score on Pittsburgh’s second offensive snap. He found a streaking Pickens with a 66-yard rainbow in the third quarter as the Steelers (8-7) snapped a three-game skid.
Pickens caught four passes for 195 yards. Rudolph finished 17 of 27 for 290 yards as the Steelers put together their best offensive performance in years.
Jake Browning threw for 335 yards and a touchdown but also tossed three picks the Steelers turned into points as Cincinnati (8-7) saw its three-game winning streak snapped. Pittsburgh raced to a 24-point halftime lead and cruised the rest of the way.
Pittsburgh’s 34 points were its most in a victory since 2020. The performance also likely silenced — for the moment — critics of Pickens, who has been scrutinized for his sometimes lackadaisical play.
