If the Steelers' 36-10 throttling of the Bengals wasn't enough for anyone, there's this, too: The victors emerged almost completely unscathed.
Trey Edmunds, the reserve running back but mostly a special teams performer, exited the game in the fourth quarter with a hamstring injury. With all due respect, that was it.
Otherwise, per Mike Tomlin, "We had some normal bumps and bruises associated with play. It was good to get Tyson Alualu back, Derek Watt back. We're going to need contributions from those guys down the stretch. We got Avery Williamson some defensive snaps today."
Alualu and Watt were coming off injuries and played without incident. Williamson just arrived from the Jets and was utilized on defense in the fourth quarter once the game was out of hand.
There were a couple scares along the way: Chase Claypool had four catches for 52 yards and two touchdowns and, maybe just as important, was able to push through an apparent left hip injury in the second quarter. It's noteworthy, though, that he'd limp off one final time midway through the fourth quarter, and that was that. Also, Cam Heyward missed part of one series after a hard collision that visibly rattled him. But he, too, returned right away.
It wound up the Steelers' cleanest bill of health following any game this season.
Their inactives were Mike Hilton, out a third consecutive week with a shoulder injury, as well as running back Anthony McFarland, linebacker Jayrone Elliott and defensive end Isaiah Buggs.
The Bengals, already missing three starters, lost cornerback Mackensie Alexander to a concussion after colliding with James Conner in the first quarter. They'd already been missing the other starting corner, Darius Phillips (groin), and a backup, LeShaun Sims (concussion). Quarterback Joe Burrow also was felled hard on a fourth-quarter sack, but coach Zac Taylor said, "I think he'll be fine," and Burrow himself shrugged it off.
Cincinnati's inactives included two major pieces, running back Joe Mixon (foot) and defensive tackle Geno Atkins (personal), as well as offensive tackle Bobby Hart (knee), guard Keaton Sutherland and kicker Austin Seibert.