PITTSBURGH -- A couple thoughts from the Pittsburgh Steelers' 27-17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday at Heinz Field:
What it means: The Steelers won their first AFC North title since 2010 and captured the No. 3 seed in the AFC playoffs. Coach Mike Tomlin has to be as proud of his team's mettle as he is that the Steelers won eight of their last 10 games after going 3-3 to open the season. The reason: It's hard to remember a sequence that sucked the energy out of Heinz Field more than the one that bridged the third and fourth quarters. Do-everything running back Le'Veon Bell left the game late in the third quarter -- he did not return -- after taking a direct shot from Bengals safety Reggie Nelson on his right knee. After Nelson intercepted quarterback Ben Roethlisberger deep in Steelers territory, the Bengals put together a 15-play, 89-yard drive. Quarterback Andy Dalton capped the drive with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Jermaine Gresham that cut Pittsburgh's lead to 20-17. The Steelers hung tough even after a holding penalty wiped out a 59-yard run by Josh Harris, and a takeaway led to the score that all but put the game away. Roethlisberger threw for 317 yards and two touchdowns, despite battling a stomach virus.
Stock watch: Unheralded cornerbacks Brice McCain and Antwon Blake came up huge for the Steelers. McCain, whom the Steelers signed to a one-year, $795,000 free-agent deal last March, intercepted Dalton twice in the first half. His second pick set up the Steelers' second touchdown of the game. Blake, who has been playing nickelback with Ike Taylor out and McCain elevated to the starting lineup, made the play of the game when he ripped the ball away from Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green after a catch and then recovered the fumble. Three plays later, Antonio Brown caught a 63-yard touchdown pass after making a nifty adjustment when the ball was in the air. McCain and Blake, who are making a combined $1.365 million this season, accounted for all three of the Steelers' takeaways.
A.B. in good company: The Bengals keep kicking to Brown -- and they keep paying the price for it. Brown returned the Bengals' first punt 71 yards for a touchdown and ran right before reversing field and getting enough blocks and interference to score. Brown has three punt returns for touchdowns, and all have come against the Bengals. Brown's three punt returns for touchdowns since 2011 trail only Devin Hester and Patrick Peterson, each of whom has four in the past four seasons. In addition to the early jolt Brown gave the Steelers via special teams, the three-time Pro Bowler capped one of the greatest seasons by a wide receiver in NFL history in fitting fashion. Brown caught seven passes for 128 yards and scored the touchdown the Steelers needed to hold off the Bengals. Brown finished 2014 with 129 catches, second most in a season in NFL history. He also led the NFL with 1,695 receiving yards.
Game ball: The Steelers' final regular-season game showed yet again how Roethlisberger, Bell and Brown all were deserving of the team MVP award. Bell won it last week, following a vote of his teammates, after emerging as one of the top all-around running backs in the NFL, and Brown's numbers and accomplishments are truly staggering. But Roethlisberger led the Steelers to the AFC North title and shares the NFL passing title (4,952) with the New Orleans Saints' Drew Brees. Quarterback is the most important position in any sport, and Roethlisberger turned in one of his finest seasons. And it isn't over yet.
What's next: The Steelers host the Baltimore Ravens in an AFC wild-card game Saturday night. The Ravens are the No. 6 seed in the AFC after beating the Cleveland Browns on Sunday afternoon to finish 10-6 in the regular season.
