There was good news for the Pittsburgh Steelers as they punished the struggling Cincinnati Bengals 34-12 in Week 11. However, Aaron Rodgers was forced out of the game when he injured his left wrist late in the first half. He did not return at any point in the second half.
Head coach Mike Tomlin was very happy that his team dominated and rolled to the victory. He said that he didn't have any details about the 41-year-old Rodgers and his condition going forward. Rodgers will be evaluated further Monday morning and a determination will be made about his future.
The Steelers replaced Rodgers with backup quarterback Mason Rudolph. The Pittsburgh backup was quite effective after he was tapped on the shoulder by head coach Mike Tomlin tp replace the future Hall of Fame quarterback. Rudolph completed 12 of 16 passes for 127 yards with 1 TD pass and he ran the offense with confidence.
Rodgers was effective prior to the injury. He completed 9 of 15 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown. Shortly after he left the game, the Steelers said that Rodgers was questionable to get back in the game, but that did not happen.
Running back Kenneth Gainwell proved to be the most dangerous weapon in the Steelers offense. He caught 7 passes for 81 yards with TD receptions from both quarterbacks.
Steelers defenses hold Joe Flacco in check
When the two teams met earlier in the season, veteran quarterback Joe Flacco w2as on fire and he shredded the Steelers defense. That was not the case in this meeting as the Steelers defense was much quicker and more aggressive.
The veteran quarterback was 23 of 40 against the Steelers defenses for 199 yards. He threw 1 TD pass and 1 interception. The Steelers defense was able to sack Flacco once and they hurried several of his deliveries.
The Steelers had a 20-12 lead early in the 4th quarter, but the Bengals were unable to stay in the game. Rudolph hit Gainwell with a 5-yard TD pass and linebacker James Pierre returned a fumble 34 yards for the final touchdown in the game.
