The Pittsburgh Steelers' offense wasn't a letdown in Week 3; this time, it was the defense. But thank goodness for the ultimate clutch play from Derrick Harmon in the waning seconds of their pivotal AFC North matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals.
It was a back-and-forth afair, as the Steelers and Bengals engaged in a shootout from early in the game until the closing seconds. Tied at 27, the Steelers scored with just over two minutes remaining to take a 30-27 lead. However, Cincinnati quickly gained the upper hand.
It only took Joe Burrow and company four plays to march down the field and enter field goal range. We were on the cusp of either an overtime contest or a Bengals win. That's when Harmon made the biggest play of the year so far for the Steelers.
With 53 seconds remaining and the Bengals in scoring range on first-and-ten, Harmon bullied right guard Dalton Risner with a bull-rush-to-arm-over move. Not only did he quickly get to Burrow, but as he grabbed the veteran quarterback with his left arm, he dislodged the football with his right.
The ball was recovered by Steelers defensive tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day before Pittsburgh knelt on the ball to secure the victory.
Derrick Harmon showed up in the clutch for a crucial Pittsburgh Steelers win over the Cincinnati Bengals
Had it not been for Harmon's exceptional play late in the fourth quarter, we could be looking at a 1-3 Pittsburgh Steelers team right now. This would have been completely deflating—especially after witnessing the offense hit its groove for the first time this season.
While the defense as a whole struggled, it was a welcome sign to see the Steelers' 2025 first-round pick show up in the biggest way possible. Harmon's game-winning strip sack marked the first time he showed up in the box score in this contest, but this moment couldn't have been bigger.
Harmon's presence was evident. As a result of his strong performance, the second-year defensive tackle finished with an 86.3 overall grade from Pro Football Focus on just 24 snaps, including a 92.2 pass-rush grade [$]. This was the highest grade of any defender for the Steelers or the Bengals.
This comes one week after Harmon displayed impressive pass-rush ability against the New England Patriots in Week 2. The 23-year-old defensive tackle is coming into his own. Harmon has already become a consistent run defender. If he can add more pass-rush splash to his game, he could be the total package for Pittsburgh.
Thanks to making the play of the game on defense, the Steelers advanced to 2-1 on the season, which ties the Bengals. However, Pittsburgh currently holds the head-to-head tybreaker over Cincinnati.
The Steelers' offense—including Aaron Rodgers, Jaylen Warren, Darnell Washington, and the offensive line—deserve credit for putting up 30 points and 411 total yards of offense in the impressive victory. But fans should be sending Derrick Harmon flowers for sealing the Week 3 win over a tough Bengals team.
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