CINCINNATI -- Years from now, if someone is going through old Steelers box scores and comes across the team's game Sunday at Cincinnati, they might ask the question, 'Who the heck were all these guys?'
After all, looking at the team's media guide won't show any information on Deon Cain. Or Kerrith Whyte. Or Nick Vannett. Or Devlin Hodges. Or Minkah Fitzpatrick. OK. Maybe by then, they'll know who Fitzpatrick is because he'll have been a multiple-time All-Pro. But the others are players acquired along the way during this injury-riddled season.
Mike Tomlin likes to talk about opponents being "nameless gray faces." His own team has plenty of their own -- enough so that you needed a scorecard to keep track of who was on the field Sunday. But they all played big parts in the team's latest victory, a 16-10 win here at Paul Brown Stadium over the Bengals that kept the Steelers' playoff hopes alive.
"Man, we struck a blow for team football today," said Tomlin. "Football is the ultimate team game and those men in that locker room from those in helmets, those who were active, they all fought together."
With the win, the Steelers' fifth in their past six games, they improved to 6-5. And with the Colts and Raiders both losing this week, moved back into the sixth spot in the AFC playoff race, something they lost last week when they dropped a 21-7 decision at Cleveland.
And they did so without leading rusher James Conner, who was sidelined with a shoulder injury. Or leading receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, who was out with a concussion and knee issue. Or Pro Bowl center Maurkice Pouncey, who is suspended for two games for his part in last week's brawl against the Browns.
And with starting quarterback Mason Rudolph struggling so badly in the first half that Tomlin pulled him from the game after a three-and-out to start the second half in favor of Hodges.
There were a lot of moving parts, some of whom haven't even been with the team long enough for everyone to learn their names.
"Yeah, I’ve still got to learn some of their names, to be honest," guard David DeCastro told me. "It was special football. Everyone played hard. It was a good team effort."
Whyte, signed off the practice squad of the Bears to help replace Conner, had six carries for 43 yards, including a 21-yard run on his first NFL carry.
"I turned the corner and saw green grass," Whyte said of his first NFL carry. "The o-line did a great job. We’ll get there. We’ll break one pretty soon."
Cain, signed off the practice squad of the Colts, at least had NFL experience. He had appeared in seven games for Indianapolis this season, starting three, before being placed on the practice squad.
He had a 35-yard catch in the second quarter that helped set up a Chris Boswell field goal for the Steelers' only points of the first half.
Later, he drew a 26-yard pass interference penalty that set up Boswell for a 47-yard go-ahead field goal.
"Just execute. If you execute, everything will take care of itself," Cain said of his thinking going into the game. "That was my biggest thing."
Even if people still don't know his name.
"Right now, I’m just 1-7," Cain said, referring to his number. "I’ll work with that until I earn that respect from my teammates. I’ll keep playing ball."
Their efforts in this game might get them more opportunities.
Rudolph's play might have opened the door for Hodges to see additional opportunities, as well.
Rudolph was 8 of 16 for 85 yards with an interception after a tumultuous week that not only saw him bludgeoned over the head with his own helmet last week in Cleveland, but being accused Thursday of using a racial slur to instigate that altercation.
It made for a difficult week.
"Yeah, any human would be when your integrity is attacked and something’s said about you that’s totally untrue," Rudolph said. "I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe he would go that route after the fact. I’ve got to move on. One day was tough but I’ve got to move on."
Hodges entered and gave the Steelers a bit of a spark, connecting on a 79-yard touchdown with James Washington.
"I came out of a bunch set and I had the post," said Washington. "The corner, he got out of there. Duck kind of had to adjust this throw a little bit, but it worked out. Once I caught it, I tried to look for grass. I didn’t see anyone. I took off running and I saw an opportunity to try and be like Vance (McDonald)."
Washington stiff-armed corner B.W. Webb, the same player posterized by Cain, to the ground on his way to the end zone, giving the Steelers the big play they needed.
"The Vanimal move," he said referring to McDonald's stiff-arm heard 'round the world last season in Tampa. "That’s what we called it."
Hodges completed 5 of 11 passes for 118 yards and the touchdown -- the only one scored by the Steelers, who leaned hard on Benny Snell in the fourth quarter.
Snell, coming off a knee injury that had sidelined him for the past three games, had nine carries for 55 yards in the fourth quarter, finishing with a career-high 21 carries for 98 yards as the Steelers rushed for 160 yards on 30 carries.
That, and two big turnovers from the defense, finished it off.
"That’s the recipe. It’s weird being on a team — I don’t want to take away from anything they’ve done in the past — but when the defense is playing like they are, it makes us want to control the game, run the ball and win the time of possession," DeCastro said. "The defense only needs a few points the way they’re playing."
The first came with the Bengals driving after the Steelers had grabbed a 13-10 lead.
Former Pitt star Tyler Boyd, who had five catches for 101 yards and a touchdown, caught a pass from rookie quarterback Ryan Finley after getting behind linebacker Devin Bush. But as Boyd secured the ball and took his third step, Bush came in from behind and knocked it loose. Fitzpatrick recovered it at the Pittsburgh 6 and returned it 36 yards to turn the Bengals away.
"He ran a crossing route that turned into a wheel route. He had me in trail position," Bush said. "I went for the punch and got rewarded."
It was a much-needed big play for the Steelers, who hadn't forced a turnover to that point.
"That’s why I’m here," Bush said.
The final turnover came after the Steelers had taken a 16-10 lead.
The Bengals took possession at their own 21 with 3:10 remaining, needing a touchdown to win. After a short completion, Bud Dupree stormed around left tackle Cordy Glenn and hit Finley from behind for the Steelers' fourth sack of the game.
The ball spurted loose and Dupree, while on the ground, somehow recovered it, allowing the Steelers to run out the clock for the win.
"Big moments are always better. Having close-out moments is always good," Dupree said. "Having the secondary close it off, he had to hold it a little longer than he did before. I was able to close in."
And the Steelers are one step closer to somehow, some way being a playoff team with a walking M*A*S*H unit.
It wasn't pretty by any definition of the word. But it was a win.
"It's awesome to get it done in the face of the things we dealt with this week, from the adversity standpoint -- lack of player availability, the aftermath of how our last game ended, and finding new people and infusing them into our program," said Tomlin.
THE ESSENTIALS
• Boxscore
THE NOTES
• The Steelers have now won their past eight games against the Bengals and 18 of the past 21.
• The Steelers finished with 339 yards, their second-highest total of the season.
• The Bengals managed just 244 total yards, with Joe Mixon providing 79 yards on 18 carries.
• Punter Jordan Berry had a solid day, helping the Steelers with field position. He averaged 45.1 yards on his seven punts with a net average of 42.6 yards while placing three kicks inside the 20.
• Cam Heyward and Mark Barron led the Steelers in tackles with six each, with both also producing a sack. Heyward had four quarterback hits in the game.
• T.J. Watt also had a sack, giving him at least a half sack in eight consecutive games, the longest streak in the NFL this season. Watt's 11.5 sacks leads the AFC.
• Dupree's sack gave him a career-high seven.
• Mike Hilton and Joe Haden led the Steelers with three pass breakups each, though Haden was called for two pass interference penalties and was in coverage on the Bengals' lone touchdown from Finley to Boyd.
• The Bengals were just 2 0f 12 on third down conversions.
• The loss by the Bengals was the team's 11th in a row this season and 13th in a row dating back to last season.
THE INJURIES
• T.J. Watt (shin, returned)
• James Conner (shoulder, DNP)
• JuJu Smith-Schuster (DNP)
• Artie Burns (knee, DNP)
THE SCHEDULE
The Steelers (6-5) return home to face the Browns (5-6) next Sunday at Heinz Field. They will hold meetings Monday with an open locker room session at 1:15 p.m. I'll have all the coverage from them all.
THE COVERAGE
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MATT SUNDAY GALLERY
Steelers at Bengals, Cincinnati, Nov. 24, 2019 -- MATT SUNDAY / DKPS