The Super Bowl runners-up trailed by 11 points leading into halftime.
Bengals fans had high expectations for their quarterback Joe Burrow on Sunday vs. the Steelers.
However, the Super Bowl runner-up struggled in the first half of Cincinnati’s Week 1 game.
In his first play, Burrow was sacked by Steelers tackle Cam Heyward. Then, in his second play, the 25-year-old quarterback threw an interception caught by Pittsburgh safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, who then ran the ball in for a touchdown.
This also happened to be the first touchdown of the day.
Burrow came out in the next drive and led the Bengals on a scoring drive, but was then sacked on third-and-10 to finish with a field goal.
Despite an improvement on the last drive, Burrow then fumbled after he was sacked by Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith. Heyward recovered the ball for Pittsburgh, and the Steelers then went up 10–3 after scoring a field goal.
Reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt intercepted Burrow on the Bengals’s next drive, and the Steelers scored a touchdown on the possession, giving them a 17–3 lead.
Burrow’s third interception of the first half came on the Bengals’s next drive when Cameron Sutton caught the ball on the Steelers’s 15-yard line. Earlier in the first half, Sutton nearly intercepted Burrow but a flag on the play reversed the turnover.
The Bengals's final drive of the first half looked promising as the team advanced 57 yards in nine plays and nearly scored a touchdown. However, the Steelers defense held the team off, causing the Bengals to settle for a field goal. The halftime score resulted in the Steelers winning 17–6.
Through the first half, Burrow finished with 11 catches out of 17 attempts for 109 yards. He was sacked four times and he threw three interceptions.
