Miscues cost Bengals in 27-17 loss to Steelers

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Cincinnati Bengals spent four months in control of the AFC North, responding to every bit of adversity with a resiliency that hinted at the kind of growth they believed would carry them into January and beyond.

And while the Bengals are still heading to the playoffs as a wild card after Sunday night's 27-17 loss Pittsburgh, they'll do it without momentum, without a home game and — even worse — possibly without star wide receiver A.J. Green.

Green left in the fourth quarter with concussion-like symptoms after absorbing a punishing hit from Steelers safety Mike Mitchell. He fumbled just before Mitchell drilled him into Heinz Field turf. Pittsburgh's Antwon Blake recovered Cincinnati's third turnover of the day and moments later Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown was racing downfield on a 63-yard catch-and-run that clinched Pittsburgh's first division title since 2010.

"We had a rough day," Cincinnati coach Marvin Lewis said. "It's key to take care of the football. We didn't do a very good job of it."

The Bengals (10-5-1) is the AFC's No. 5 seed and will play at AFC South champion Indianapolis (11-5) next Sunday as they search for their first playoff win in nearly a quarter century. The Colts drummed Cincinnati 27-0 on Oct. 19. The Bengals responded by going 7-3 over their final 10 games, but two of the losses came to the rival Steelers. Pittsburgh (11-5) is the No. 3 seed and will host Baltimore (10-6) on Saturday night.

Cincinnati had trouble keeping Brown in check. The Pro Bowler had 212 all-purpose yards, including a dazzling 71-yard punt return for a score in the first quarter.

The victory came at a potentially high cost for Pittsburgh. Running back Le'Veon Bell left in the third quarter with a hyperextended right knee following a collision with Cincinnati safety Reggie Nelson.

Nelson hit Bell low at the end of a 19-yard reception and the second-year back — voted the club's Most Valuable Player by his teammates last week — lay on the field for several minutes. He gingerly jogged to the sideline before being taken to the locker room to chants of "MVP! MVP!" Nelson and Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin exchanged words during the postgame handshake, though both declined to get into details about the conversation.

"He was talking about some he-said, she-said type of deal," Tomlin said. "I don't know what he was talking about."

Pittsburgh survived without one of its catalysts thanks to the opportune play of cornerbacks Blake and Brice McCain, who picked off Andy Dalton twice. Dalton completed 27 of 38 passes for 244 yards but both picks were poor overthrows to Green that cut short promising drives.

"You have to be better," Dalton said. "You can't turn the ball over."

Still, a 5-yard touchdown pass to Jermaine Gresham with 11:14 remaining pulled the Bengals within 20-17 and Cincinnati had possession and a chance when it fell apart. Blake swiped the ball out of Green's hands and chased it down while Green was decked by Mitchell on a legal but decidedly violent collision.

Cincinnati's defense forced the Steelers into a third-and-8 on the ensuing drive before Brown shook loose. Ben Roethlisberger, battling an illness that forced him to miss warmups, found Brown along the sideline. Brown split two Cincinnati defenders then darted to his team-record 13th receiving touchdown. The grab also gave him 129 receptions of the season, the second-highest total in NFL history. Roethlisberger finished 24 of 38 for 317 yards and two touchdowns to go with an interception.

Green, who torched the Steelers for a career-high 224 yards three weeks ago, was held to eight receptions for 82 yards before leaving. Jeremy Hill ran for 100 yards on 23 carries for Cincinnati.

The Bengals have become contenders under Lewis and are headed to the postseason for a fourth straight season for the first time in franchise history. Yet they are still looking for their first postseason victory since Boomer Esiason and Sam Wyche beat Houston 41-14 in the Wild Card on Jan. 6, 1991. Each of the last three seasons have ended with thuds and now Cincinnati must travel to a place where it managed little while getting drummed by Andrew Luck and the Colts.

"I'm looking forward to the opportunity to give it back to them," Bengals defensive end Carlos Dunlap said. "They obviously put it on us pretty well earlier in the season."

___

Online: AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL