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Defense leads way as Steelers roll to win

DEFENSE — Steelers’ outside linebacker T.J. Watt sacks Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton during the second half of Sunday’s game. -- Associated Press

PITTSBURGH — Joe Haden spent his first few weeks in Pittsburgh trying to fit into a new locker room after spending seven seasons in Cleveland.

The two-time Pro Bowl cornerback had little trouble adjusting. Still, he couldn’t help but think something was missing.

“I haven’t felt like I’ve made too many splash plays,” Haden said. “I felt like I’ve been doing my job, staying on top, not really getting beat. But you always, as a corner, you always want to get your hand on the ball.”

Done.

Haden kick started Pittsburgh’s second-half domination of Cincinnati with an acrobatic pick on Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton to set up a field goal and the Steelers overran Cincinnati in a lopsided 29-14 victory. Pittsburgh (5-2) intercepted Dalton twice and sacked him four times over the final 30 minutes to provide some breathing room in the decidedly ‘meh’ AFC North.

“We still got a ways to go,” Haden cautioned after the Steelers beat Cincinnati (2-4) for the eighth time in their last nine meetings.

Maybe, but perhaps not as far as it appeared after getting run over by Jacksonville’s Leonard Fournette earlier this month. Pittsburgh responded by going to Kansas City to knock off the previously unbeaten Chiefs last week and spent the second half of Sunday showcasing the widening gap between themselves and the rest of the division.

Though the offense again largely had to settle for field goals — a Heinz Field record five by Chris Boswell — the way the defense played, Pittsburgh’s six-point halftime lead was never in danger. The Bengals managed just 19 yards after the break as their mini-surge following an 0-3 start came to an ugly halt.

“We didn’t play up to where we needed to today,” Cincinnati wide receiver A.J. Green said after catching just three passes for 41 yards. “They did a great job taking me away.”

And putting the Bengals in a serious hole. The Steelers have a full two-game lead over the entire AFC North and after a two-game swing through Detroit and Indianapolis will leave Western Pennsylvania just twice over the final seven weeks.

For a team that looked like a bit of a mess after getting lit up late by the Jaguars, the Steelers certainly appear to have their swagger back. How else to explain rookie linebacker T.J. Watt’s “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” inspired sack dance? Watt, the younger brother of Houston defensive end J.J. Watt, broke it out after chasing Dalton down in the fourth quarter.

“We can be great,” Watt said.

For now, Pittsburgh will have to settle for pretty good.

“We’re going to be very dangerous,” middle linebacker Ryan Shazier said.

READY OR NOT

Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and running back Le’Veon Bell took the NFL’s relaxed celebration rules to another level with an inspired game of “Hide and Seek” after Smith-Schuster hauled in a 31-yard score in the second quarter.

Bell approached the 20-year-old Smith-Schuster with the idea a few minutes before the kickoff, and their impromptu re-enactment of a children’s game quickly went viral.

HERE I COME

A week after getting 35 touches against the Chiefs, Bell had 38 against the Bengals. He ran it 35 times for 134 yards and added three receptions for 58 yards, including a 42-yard catch-and-run that featured Bell shoving Dre Kirkpatrick to the ground.

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