Posted by ESPN.com’s James Walker
CINCINNATI -- The Pittsburgh Steelers lead the Cincinnati Bengals, 13-3, at intermission.
Here are some first-half notes:
- The Steelers did a good job of quieting the raucous home crowd in Paul Brown Stadium with a dominant first quarter. Pittsburgh led 10-0 after the first period as the offense sustained drives with 152 yards, and the defense held Cincinnati to minus-10 yards. The Bengals didn’t get their initial first down until early in the second quarter, where the home crowd gave the team a sarcastic round of applause.
- Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin made a curious choice to go for it on fourth down at the end of the half, which ended up giving Cincinnati good field position. The Bengals turned the short field into a 34-yard field goal by Shayne Graham to cut the lead to 10 points after two quarters.
- I'm really impressed so far with Pittsburgh tailback Willie Parker. As a speedy back, he felt that the turf in Cincinnati would help him this week, and Parker does look faster than the previous two games. Parker has 72 yards rushing and a 27-yard touchdown catch. Pittsburgh showed a few signs of turning the running game around in Week 2 and has looked dramatically improved in that area thus far.
- There’s also a couple interesting notes regarding receivers in this game. Bengals receiver Chad Ochocinco had three receptions in the first half and has notched a catch in 108 consecutive games. Pittsburgh’s Hines Ward (three catches, 61 yards) also became the first Steelers player to eclipse 10,000 receiving yards in his career.
Sort comments by: Most Recent | First Posted
Comments that include profanity, or personal attacks, or antisocial behavior such as "spamming" or "trolling," or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. We will take steps to block users who violate any of our terms of use. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
ABOUT THIS BLOG
James Walker
Walker joined ESPN.com in 2008 after three seasons covering the Cleveland Browns for the Columbus Dispatch. He also covered the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Cavaliers at the Dispatch. Walker grew up in Hyattsville, Md., before attending Temple University, graduating in 2001 with a B.A. in communications and mass media. He resides in the Cleveland area.