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Pittsburgh Steelers Beat Cincinnati Bengals For First Win Of Season

PITTSBURGH (AP/KDKA) - Mason Rudolph threw for 229 yards and two touchdowns to pick up his first victory while filling in for Ben Roethlisberger as the Pittsburgh Steelers easily handled the Cincinnati Bengals 27-3 on Monday night.

Rudolph completed 24 of 28 passes, most of them quick hitters that allowed the Steelers to control the clock. He connected with James Conner on a delayed screen for a 21-yard touchdown in the second quarter, then broke the game open with a 43-yard heave to rookie Diontae Johnson midway through the third as the Steelers (1-3) won their ninth straight over the Bengals (0-4).

Jaylen Samuels ran for 26 yards and a touchdown, caught eight passes for 57 yards and was even credited with three completions - in reality "pop" passes to teammates in motion that traveled all of three feet - while working out of the Wildcat formation as Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner opened up his playbook to help the Steelers avoid just their second 0-4 start in 51 years.

Cincinnati Bengals v Pittsburgh Steelers
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 30: Running back Jaylen Samuels #38 of the Pittsburgh Steelers runs against the defense of LaRoy Reynolds #55 of the Cincinnati Bengals in the game at Heinz Field on September 30, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

The Steelers' defense had 8 sacks and one interception, smothering the Bengals' offense.

(Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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