• The Bengals defense allowed only 20 points to the Steelers, the second lowest total of the season.
• The Steelers, however, converted 7 of 13 third-down conversions and one fourth-down attempt.
• The Steelers converted third downs of 17 yards and 11 yards twice in the second half.

If the Cincinnati Bengals defense improved against the Pittsburgh Steelers, it wasn’t enough improvement.

Pittsburgh’s defense returned two turnovers for touchdowns in its 34-12 victory over Cincinnati on Nov. 16 at Acrisure Stadium. The deficit was lopsided and the Bengals’ defense allowed only 20 points, but it was the plays leading up to the two Kenneth Gainwell receiving touchdowns and two Chris Boswell field goals that proved problematic for a Cincinnati defensive unit that entered the contest ranked as the worst defense in the NFL.

Bengals Steelers Chase Ramsey Steelers’ Jalen Ramsey says Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase spit at him before ejection

Against a Steelers team ranked 29th in total offense, tackling and a lack of timely third-down stops were once again topics of conversation in the Bengals’ postgame media scrums.

Pittsburgh was 7-for-13 on third-down conversions, and also converted one fourth-down try. Even after quarterback Aaron Rodgers was knocked out of the game through injury at halftime, veteran backup Mason Rudolph was about as effective as his future-Hall of Fame teammate.

Both quarterbacks threw a touchdown pass to Gainwell, and oversaw drives ending in successful Boswell kicks.

It’s true that the defensive showing was one of Cincinnati’s better outings of the year, as Bengals head coach Zac Taylor asserted afterward. The 20 points scored by Pittsburgh’s offense constituted the second-fewest points allowed in a game this season by Cincinnati.

Taylor also acknowledged problematic tackling.

“It was one of the better games they played,” Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said. “They gave us those opportunities, only allowing 10 points going into halftime after giving up the first drive of the game. I was happy with the punts they forced. Unfortunately, we couldn’t capitalize on offense and get enough points on the board to take advantage, especially getting the ball in the second half. Overall, during the second half, those two (scoring) possessions we just got to get them on the ground.

• The Bengals face the Pittsburgh Steelers for the second time this regular season.
• The Bengals are looking for a season sweep of the Steelers after having won the first meeting 33-31 on Oct. 16.
• Joe Flacco will again start at quarterback for the Bengals.

The Cincinnati Bengals travel to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers in Week 11 looking for a sweep on the season.

Cincinnati (3-6) beat the Steelers (5-4) 33-31 on Oct. 16 at Paycor Stadium.

Quarterback Joe Flacco won in his second start for the Bengals and Ja’Marr Chase reset his own franchise record with 16 receptions on 23 targets in the game.

Bengals injuries: Rookie defensive end Shemar Stewart on reserve/injured list with knee injury

Steelers injuries: Pittsburgh rules out starting linebackers Alex Highsmith, Cole Holcomb vs Bengals

Ja’Marr Chase: Bengals facing ‘must-win game’ against Pittsburgh Steelers

Cincinnati is coming off its bye while Pittsburgh is coming off a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.

Here are the keys to victory for the Bengals in Week 11:

Follow the example the Chargers made

The Bengals didn’t register a sack or hit against the Steelers last month and quarterback Aaron Rodgers had plenty of time to carve up Cincinnati’s defense. Los Angeles registered five hits and three sacks on Rodgers on Nov. 9 en route to a 25-10 victory.

Cincinnati will be without defensive ends Trey Hendrickson and Shemar Stewart, which means they’ll need to get creative in finding ways to get to Rodgers.

If the Bengals can’t pressure Rodgers and disrupt his timing, it’ll mean the offense will need an even bigger Herculean effort than the past two games where Cincinnati scored 80 points against the New York Jets and Chicago Bears and still lost.

Run the ball, control the clock and utilize play action

Winning a track meet is possible for the Bengals’ offense, but it’s best to avoid being in those positions, as they saw in the losses to the Jets and Bears.

Yes, Flacco and the offense can score from anywhere on the field, but it’d be best to control the game by running the ball and not forcing the defense to go back out on the field in less than two minutes in the second half.

Chase Brown needs to have a big game and keep the Bengals ahead of the sticks at Acrisure Stadium so Flacco isn’t having to throw the ball 50 times against what’s likely to be a different defensive look from the Steelers.

Zone busters for everyone

Flacco threw for 342 yards and three touchdowns without an interception in the Bengals’ Oct. 16 win and the Steelers played man coverage for the most part.

Expect the Steelers to move more to zone looks to limit big play potential for wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Chase had 16 catches for 161 yards and a touchdown and Higgins had six catches for 96 yards and a score.

This means Flacco will need to find the soft spots in the zone coverage via a variety of route concepts and possibly get Brown more involved catching the ball out of the backfield.