PITTSBURGH -- There were a lot of factors that went the way of the Bengals Sunday night at Heinz Field. They controlled the time of possession against the Steelers. They ran the ball well. They stopped the run.
Yet they left the stadium with a 10-point loss because of their inability to hold onto the football.
Three times the Bengals turned the ball over in their 27-17 loss to the Steelers, a loss that cost them first place in the AFC North and a home playoff game. All three turnovers involved passes from Andy Dalton to A.J. Green. Dalton was intercepted twice in the first half and then Green lost a fumble in Steelers territory late in the fourth quarter with the Bengals down just three points and driving for a potential tying field goal or go-ahead touchdown.
The Steelers also turned the ball over three times but they made up for their mistakes with big play strikes for touchdowns that opened the scoring and then sealed the deal. Every time the Bengals made up for one mistake, they found another way to stunt themselves.
That's a big reason why they will be heading to Indianapolis next Sunday for a 1 p.m. AFC wild card game instead of hosting Baltimore.
"Quite honestly, as much as we made mistakes, we shouldn't have been in the game," said left tackle Andrew Whitworth. "That's how good of a football team I think we are. If we just don't hurt ourselves and give people points I think we're a tough team to beat."
Not only did the Bengals give away points and possessions -- the Steelers scored 14 points off the three turnovers -- but twice the Bengals lost the ball in scoring position.
"The turnover seemed to be our issue today," said head coach Marvin Lewis. "That was the biggest part of the day against us. We had a rough day. It's key to take care of the football. We didn't do a very good job of it."
This was the ninth time this season the Bengals have had more than one turnover in a game. They're 4-5 in those games, including 1-3 when they give away the ball three or more times. The only time they won such a game was at Tampa Bay, a team that will be picking first in next year's draft after finishing with the NFL's worst record. They lost by 27 points at New England after losing three fumbles. Dalton was intercepted three times and running back Jeremy Hill lost a fumble in a 21-point loss at home against Cleveland.
Of the 12 teams advancing to the postseason, only Indianapolis (31) and Dallas (24) have turned the ball over more than the 23 times the Bengals have this season. The Cowboys still finished plus-3 in turnover ratio, while the Colts were minus-6. The Bengals broke even in the turnover department.
"Coach (Lewis) talked about turnovers," said linebacker Rey Maualuga. "You don't want to turn the ball over three times, two picks and a fumble. That many turnovers you're likely not going to finish the game with a win. We had the momentum. We stopped them and had the ball down by three. That fumble hurt us but there were a lot of plays that we gave up."
Before any of the turnovers, Antonio Brown did what he seemingly always does to the Bengals at Heinz Field: return a punt for a touchdown. Last year he had a 67-yard return for a score during a 21-point first quarter for the Steelers, a play that also resulted in punter Kevin Huber suffering a broken jaw. This time Huber made it out unscathed but Brown still put points up on the board with a 71-yard return and a 7-0 Pittsburgh lead.
The Bengals settled down and scored the next 10 points by taking advantage of good field position. A short, 35-yard punt by Pittsburgh's Brad Wing was returned six yards by Brandon Tate to the Steelers' 42-yard line. That set up a 17-yard touchdown reception by Giovani Bernard, who took an improvisational shovel pass by Dalton and then leaped past multiple defenders to get to the pylon.
Mike Nugent's 39-yard field goal followed a fumble recovery by Wallace Gilberry at Pittsburgh's 34. It was one of the rare times in the games a Bengals defensive lineman was in the backfield as Roethlisberger couldn't handle a low shotgun snap.
Yet it could've been better. One possession before Bernard's touchdown, Dalton threw for Green, who he thought was headed towards the end zone on a stop-and-go route against cornerback Brice McCain. Only Green didn't go after stopping.
The score was tied 10-10 in the second quarter when McCain got his second interception of the game, this time on a deflected pass off the hands of Green. Dalton's throw was high. Green couldn't corral it. McCain returned it to the Bengals 28, and two plays later the Steelers had the lead for good on a wide receiver screen play that Martavis Bryant turned into a 21-yard touchdown.
"The first one, I shouldn't have thrown," said Dalton. "The next one I left high. It was my fault. You have to be better. You can't turn the ball over."
No, the Bengals can't turn the ball over. Not against teams of this caliber, which is the only caliber team they will face from here on out. If they want the here on out to last for more than one game for the first time in 24 seasons, they can't give away the ball.
"We fought hard and had our moments in the game and also hurt ourselves," said Whitworth. "You can't come on the road, play a great football team; one of the ones that I think is one of the better teams right now left in the playoffs, and play yourselves at the same time you're playing them. Turning the ball over and keep giving them points and giving them opportunities, you can't come on the road and play yourselves and play the other team."
If media does not immediately show, please refresh your browser.
