Steelers 30, Bengals 27: Boswell, Then Harmon's Strip

September 27, 2026 - Pittsburgh - Holding wiped out an 87-yard Jaylen Warren run. The next three plays were the answer. Aaron Rodgers hit DK Metcalf for 14. Darnell Washington rumbled 47 down the right sideline. Warren went 26 to the 6 and fell over his own feet. Chris Boswell made 33 with 2:15 left. The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Cincinnati Bengals 30-27 at Acrisure Stadium.

Pittsburgh is 2-1. Cincinnati is 2-1 after its first loss. Mike McCarthy's first AFC North game as the home coach ended with Derrick Harmon sacking Joe Burrow, forcing a fumble, and Sebastian Joseph-Day falling on it at the Cincinnati 49 with 44 seconds left. It was Pittsburgh's first sack of the afternoon. It was the only one they needed.

Rodgers completed 19 of 34 for 292 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. Warren ran 17 times for 127 and caught 3 for 49. Burrow went 28 of 37 for 282 yards and three scores. He hit his first 14 passes. Reuters listed him at 282. The Steelers listed Rodgers at 292. Ja'Marr Chase caught 9 for 98 and a first-quarter touchdown. Tee Higgins had 6 for 90 and a 28-yard circus catch.

14-7 in a hurry, 17-17 at the horn

Rodgers needed 1:50. Roman Wilson beat his man. The 38-yard ball was the first Steelers wide receiver touchdown of the season. 7-0.

Cincinnati answered. Chase scored. Rodgers then hit Ben Skowronek from 23 on a motion route the Bengals did not account for. 14-7, 52 seconds left in the first.

Boswell made it 17-10. Jordan Battle intercepted Rodgers when the ball came off Wilson's hands inside field-goal range, Cincinnati's first pick of the year. Burrow threw 28 yards. Higgins sat down, boxed out Asante Samuel Jr., and caught it in his midsection with 34 seconds left in the half. 17-17.

Evan McPherson opened the third with his 20th straight made field goal, per the Bengals. 20-17. Cedric Johnson roughing the punter, with Cincinnati leading, extended a Pittsburgh drive. Rodgers found Metcalf from 6 on third-and-2, Metcalf's first score of the season. 24-20, 2:43 left in the third.

A muffed punt, two Boswell kicks, one strip

Cincinnati went back in front 27-24. Ke'Shawn Williams then muffed Cameron Johnston's punt. PJ Jules did not fall on it. Skowronek did, at the Cincinnati 14. Pittsburgh went backward. Boswell from 36 tied it at 27 with 8:45 left.

The 33-yarder after Washington's 47-yarder put Pittsburgh up 30-27. Burrow had first down at the Steelers 38 with 53 seconds left. Harmon beat him for an 8-yard sack and the fumble. Joseph-Day recovered.

Pittsburgh outgained Cincinnati 411-352 and converted 7 of 12 thirds. Patrick Queen had 13 tackles. Cameron Heyward had two quarterback hits. Dexter Lawrence wrecked the other sideline with two sacks and three tackles for loss and still walked off 2-1 the wrong way. The Bengals say those two special-teams gaffes translated to 10 Pittsburgh points.

Warren called the win huge for McCarthy's first division game. Rodgers praised a new-look line that included rookie Max Iheanachor at right tackle and said Jaylen was dynamic. McCarthy talked about momentum and work ethic. The tape still has a negated 87-yarder and a pick that became Higgins in the corner.

Burrow's rating against Pittsburgh was the highest of his career in this rivalry, the Bengals wrote. He also lost the football at the 38 with the game on his arm. Harmon had one tackle in the official book. It was the tackle that ended the night.

Pittsburgh already played Cleveland on Thursday night. Cincinnati's Week 4 game is Sunday, Oct. 4. A 30-27 home win in the first division game under McCarthy is the kind of night the building wanted when Rodgers signed. It is also the kind of night that required a muff, a 47-yard tight end, and a first sack at the worst possible time for Burrow. The Bengals hung 27 on the road and still left 2-1. Chase and Higgins both scored. Lawrence wrecked the pocket and still walked off with a loss. The scoreboard belonged to Boswell and Harmon.

AthX Engine on a one-sack closer

AthX Engine NFL scoring already has the Week 3 lines in. Lawrence's two sacks land at 72.00, the top total in this game on the DL card. Warren is 45.50. Battle is 44.00 on the interception. Rodgers is 41.86. Burrow is 41.81. Harmon is 38.00. Queen's tackle volume is 38.00. Pittsburgh's team line is 69.25.

Fantasy points measure the box. Price is what traders will pay after a first-sack strip decided an AFC North night. They move together. They are not the same number.

Track Rodgers, Warren, Metcalf, Burrow, Chase, and both clubs on the marketplace.

*Sources: Steelers.com, Bengals.com, Reuters, ESPN Week 3 scoreboard. Reuters listed Burrow at 282 passing yards, matching nflverse (28 of 37); some wire recaps rounded him to 292. AthX Engine Week 3 lines scored from nflverse weekly stats (CC-BY 4.0). Information only; not financial advice.*