Bengals get shot of confidence in stunning win over Steelers

Few saw what the Cincinnati Bengals were capable of Monday night, least of all the playoff-bound Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Bengals got their third win of the season, this one on a primetime stage against a hated divisional rival that was looking to stop a two-game skid and get back on track before the postseason.

Before kickoff, it looked to be a snoozer and another inevitable setback in another disappointing season for Cincinnati.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) is hit as he throws during the second half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Monday, Dec. 21, 2020, in Cincinnati. (AP PhotoBryan Woolston)

Instead the Bengals (3-10-1) turned the tables.

Taking advantage of the sloppy, inept Steelers offense, Cincinnati forced turnovers and built a 17-point first-half lead on the way to a stunning 27-17 win.

It was a feel-good night for the Bengals in what has been a another disappointing season dragged down by multiple injuries to key players. The biggest was rookie quarterback Joe Burrow, who was lost to a season-ending knee injury on Nov. 22.

Cincinnati Bengals' William Jackson (22) is called for pass interference against Pittsburgh Steelers' Diontae Johnson (18) during the second half of an NFL football game, Monday, Dec. 21, 2020, in Cincinnati. (AP PhotoMichael Conroy)

The Steelers outgained the Bengals overall 244-230, but the turnovers were the difference.

“It's tough because we all have these expectations and they haven’t gone the way we wanted,” said running back Giovani Bernard, who ran for a touchdown and caught a pass for another scor e. “When we have a game like this it means so much to the players, the coaches. You see the guys that continue to put in the work every single day.

"Quite frankly it’s not easy to come in here after a close loss two, three, four five weeks in a row, whatever it may be. It’s not easy for coaches to keep encouraging us, but they continue to and I’m thankful.”

WHAT'S WORKING

The Bengals' defense has been decent for much of the season as the offense struggled. The unit was outstanding on Monday night, with safety Vonn Bell forcing a fumble with a hard hit on Juju Smith-Schuster after a reception, and cornerback Mackensie Alexander picking off Ben Roethlisberger. They held the Steelers (11-3) to 86 rushing yards and allowed just 4 third-down conversions on 16 tries.

“We’ve been doing what we’ve been doing all year,” Bell said. “We really were just executing at a high level. We didn’t have any mistakes, no dropped coverages or anything like that. Communication was on point. We were just doing what we were supposed to do.”

WHAT NEEDS HELP

The Bengals' passing game has suffered since Burrow went down with an injury. Brandon Allen started the previous three games, but was out Monday with a knee injury from last week's loss to the Cowboys. Ryan Finley started for the first time since the 2019 season and was 7 for 13 for 89 yards as the Bengals stuck to a ground attack.

STOCK UP

The unimpressive passing numbers aside, Finley threw a touchdown pass to Bernard and made the offensive play of the game. With the Bengals' lead cut to 7 points, Finley ran untouched around the left side for a 23-yard touchdown to push it to 24-10 with 11:21 left in the game.

STOCK DOWN

Kicker Randy Bullock was a healthy scratch again as the Bengals gave Austin Seibert a try. Seibert was 2 for 3 on field goals, including a 34-yarder in the first quarter and a 33-yarder with 12 seconds left that put an exclamation point on the Cincinnati win. He also made all three of his extra-point attempts.

INJURIES

Tyler Boyd, the Bengals' leading receiver, left the game with a concussion in the first quarter and was ruled out.

KEY NUMBER

3 — Number of Bengals wins, which is one more than last season when they finished 2-14.

NEXT STEPS

Build on the win and get Finley ready to play the Texans two days after Christmas and then the Ravens on Jan. 3. Another win could help convince the organization to stick with coach Zac Taylor for another year.

Follow Mitch Stacy at http://twitter.com/mitchstacy

More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL

WADI AD-DAWASIR, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Nani Roma overcame three punctures to lead the Dakar Rally for the first time in 12 years after a dramatic stage nine on Tuesday.

Five-time champion Nasser Al-Attiyah held the lead since Friday until four-time winner Carlos Sainz took over after Al-Attiyah got lost. Then 2014 champion Roma seized it at the very end after Sainz also lost his way and was penalized for speeding.

The motorbikes took a different, slightly longer northwest route out of Wadi ad-Dawasir and, without the benefit of bike tracks to follow, the cars struggled to stay on course.

The 410-kilometer first half of a marathon stage was claimed by Eryk Gozcal for his maiden major stage win, made even more special by his uncle Michal finishing second nearly eight minutes back. Eryk's father Marek, who heads their family-run team driving Toyotas, was 26th. Marek inspired Eryk to become the youngest ever Dakar driver in 2023 at 18.

Saood Variawa, following his stage victory on Monday, opened the way and was soon joined by Toyota Gazoo teammate Henk Lategan. But Lategan, third overall at the start of the day, lost 14 minutes at the 183-kilometer pit stop to fix his power steering. Ford's Mitch Guthrie, the stage three winner, was also stalled at the pit stop to repair an oil leak. He finished the stage more than an hour behind.

Sébastien Loeb’s Dacia, running fifth, lost power steering at 220 kilometers. Teammate Lucas Moraes, who had been leading the stage for over 200 kilometers, struck navigation problems and, at around 280, Dacia leader Al-Attiyah and Ford’s Mattias Ekström lost their way.

Al-Attiyah's provisional overall lead of nearly seven minutes over Ekström and more than 13 minutes over Roma evaporated in the dust.

Sainz, hanging in the top five for the past week, suddenly led the provisional general standings, followed by Roma and Al-Attiyah. Then a 70-second speeding penalty cost him. The Fords of Spaniards Sainz and Roma finished the stage in seventh and eighth within five seconds of each other.

“Everyone had problems today,” Roma said. “Now we cross the fingers. We must be humble and quiet and try to arrive in Bisha tomorrow well.”

Roma rose from fourth overnight to first overall by 57 seconds over Sainz, followed by Al-Attiyah (1:10 down), Lategan (6:13) and Ekstrom (11:19).

It's the closest top five ever this deep into a Dakar. The second half of the marathon stage to Bisha is on Wednesday and the race ends on Saturday.

The motorbike lead also changed, reverting to defending champion Daniel Sanders after KTM teammate Luciano Benavides became lost early while opening the way.

Sanders recovered to overtake Benavides and pick up time bonuses. Sanders was eventually caught himself by Honda's Tosha Schareina, who went on to win his third stage of this Dakar. Sanders was second, 4 1/2 minutes back, and Michael Docherty a surprising third to keep Honda's Ricky Brabec off the podium.

Overall, Sanders has a six-minute lead over Brabec, and seven minutes over Benavides. Schareina cut his deficit to 15 1/2 minutes.

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Driver Carlos Sainz gives a phone call at the end of the ninth stage of the Dakar Rally between Wadi Ad Dawasir and Bisha, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Jan.13, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Driver Guillaume de Mevius and co-driver Mathieu Baumel change a tire of their car at the end of the ninth stage of the Dakar Rally between Wadi Ad Dawasir and Bisha, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Jan.13, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Driver Mattias Ekstrom and co-driver Emil Bergkvist check their car at the end of the ninth stage of the Dakar Rally between Wadi Ad Dawasir and Bisha, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Jan.13, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Driver Simon Vitse and co-driver Max Delfino check their car at the end of the ninth stage of the Dakar Rally between Wadi Ad Dawasir and Bisha, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Jan.13, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Journalists film driver Carlos Sainz, center, and co-driver Lucas Cruz at the end of the ninth stage of the Dakar Rally between Wadi Ad Dawasir and Bisha, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Jan.13, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)