The Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t attempt any real deep shots in the first half Monday night, but in the third quarter that changed. Diontae Thompson got wide open in the deep middle of the field as the Cincinnati Bengals busted coverage, and Mason Rudolph found him for the 43-yard touchdown.
Dre Kirkpatrick thought that he had safety help over the top and broke off his coverage. Only, his help followed another receiver, and there wasn’t a soul near Thompson when the ball arrived.
This way-too-easy score put Pittsburgh up 24-3 over a hapless Bengals team that’s been awful on both sides of the ball in this crucial AFC North battle.