CINCINNATI -- Ben Roethlisberger has regained his mojo when it comes to game-winning drives and come-from-behind victories.
Monday night against Cincinnati was just the latest chapter. And, once again, he had plenty of help from his two co-stars, Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell.
After falling behind, 17-0, late in the first half following a serious injury to linebacker Ryan Shazier, Roethlisberger rallied the Steelers to a 23-20 victory, engineering his third game-winning drive of the season and 43rd of his career.
Oh, he also became just the eighth player in league history to throw for more than 50,000 career yards on this pass to Bell:
"It means a lot more when you win," said Roethlisberger on surpassing 50,000 yards. "It wouldn't have been the same if you don't win."
Roethlisberger made sure the Steelers did that by heating up in the second half. After struggling through the first half, when he went 8 of 16 for 109 yards and an interception, he finished 24 of 40 for 290 yards and two touchdowns, leading the Steelers to 20 second-half points.
Bell and Brown were both big parts of the comeback.
Brown, who had been questionable to play because of a sprained big toe on his right foot that he suffered early in last weekend's come-from-behind win over Green Bay, caught eight passes for 101 yards and a touchdown, including this game-tying 6-yard score with 3:51 remaining in the game.
"He's easy to believe in," said Mike Tomlin of Brown, who refused to take a pain-killing shot. "You leave the light on for Antonio Brown. I can't say enough about his effort and detail. A lack of physical preparation -- and that's a guy whose confidence is steeped in physical preparation -- and for him to perform the way he did, we don't take it for granted, and we appreciate it."
Bell, meanwhile, did what he typically does in Monday night games. He came into the contest averaging 164.7 yards from scrimmage per game played on Monday night. That's the most in NFL history.
He did nothing to hurt his average in this game, gaining 76 yards on 18 carries while also catching five passes for 106 yards, including a touchdown midway through the third quarter that seemed to kickstart Pittsburgh's offense.
Cornerback William Jackson, who had just made a great play on a pass to Brown in the end zone, had Bell trapped along the sideline, but pulled up on him, thinking Bell had stepped our of bounds. But Bell skirted the sideline and scored from 35 yards to trim Cincinnati's lead to 17-10.
"My initial thought was to get as much as I can," Bell said. "They probably thought I ran out of bounds. They kind of moved out of the way. I stayed on my feet. It was probably one of the easiest touchdowns I’ve had in my life."
SUTTON'S TIME HAS COME
Rookie Cameron Sutton, a third-round draft pick, spent the first half of the season on injured reserve after suffering a hamstring injury at the end of the preseason.
But the rookie cornerback got a trial by fire Monday night after Coty Sensabaugh struggled in the first half against Bengals receiver A.J. Green. Green had seven catches for 77 yards and two touchdowns -- both against Sensabaugh -- in the first half as the Bengals built a 17-3 halftime lead.
Sensabaugh was making his third consecutive start in place of injured Joe Haden.
Sutton, who was activated off injured reserve two weeks ago, had not yet played in an NFL game. But he played every defensive snap of the second half for the Steelers.
The Bengals went right at him with Green on their opening play of the third quarter. Sutton broke up the pass and was part of a unit that held the Pro Bowl receiver without a catch in the second half -- though he did have a long touchdown called back because of a holding penalty.
"It was kind of good for me," Sutton told me of being tested on his first play. "I wouldn’t say I was nervous or had jitters or anything. But I’m the kind of guy who feeds off of making plays. Who doesn’t? Coming in my first play and making a play on the ball gave me confidence the rest of the game."
Sutton did not record a tackle in the game -- something that is actually a positive for a cornerback.
"He's a guy that has worked extremely hard and was deserving of an opportunity," said Tomlin. "It wasn't like there were a lot of positive things going on. That's no slight against Coty. We were just looking for a spark or a combination.
"We gave (Sutton) a chance and he made some plays. We'll see what next week holds for us."
Green, meanwhile, helped matters by dropping two passes in the second half, including one on Cincinnati's final offensive possession that went right through his hands as a light rain fell.
"We didn't have to worry about the rain in the first quarter," Green said of his early success. "It's football. We have to make a play on that final drive, and it just went right through my hands."
THE FINAL SEVEN
• Chris Boswell made all three of his field goal attempts and now has converted all 24 attempts he's made against the Bengals, including the playoffs.
• Vince Williams recorded his eighth sack of the season in the game, while Bud Dupree also had a sack for the Steelers. Williams also had a team-high nine tackles.
• The Steelers did not allow a pass play of over 30 yards for the first time in their past five games.
• Roethlisberger now owns a 25-4 career record in regular season games played in his home state of Ohio. Roethlisberger is 14-2 at Paul Brown Stadium, including playoff games.
• The Bengals were penalized 13 times for 173 yards. Pittsburgh had seven for 66.
• Martavis Bryant had a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown negated in the third quarter on a holding penalty by safety J.J. Wilcox. Wilcox was also called for another holding penalty in the fourth quarter during a punt return by Eli Rogers.
• The Steelers have now won seven consecutive games, matching their seven-game win streak to end the regular season last year. Five of those wins have come by six points or less, with three coming by three or fewer points.
MATT SUNDAY GALLERY