breakups and no tackle for a loss. How will he put his mark on this game? NO `INT’ IN DALTON: Andy Dalton threw an interception during the third quarter of the loss at Heinz Field, and hasn’t thrown another since

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Marvin Lewis expects his defense to play aggressively.It also comes with a danger — as the Cincinnati Bengals found out Sunday.They overcame the first-quarter ejection of safety Shawn Williams and three more personal foul calls during the season opener to hold on for a 34-23 victory after Williams’ replacement jarred the ball loose and returned a fumble 83 yards for a touchdown with 24 seconds left at Indianapolis“There’s a lot of stuff we can do better. Too many penalties in critical situations Byron Cowart Jersey Boys ,” Lewis said. “We did a nice job with that all summer and now, today, it cropped in there, so it really could have hurt us.”Williams was tossed in the first quarter after helmet-to-helmet contact with Colts QB Andrew Luck — becoming the first player to be ejected this season.The NFL has sent a clear message to players everywhere that it intends to eliminate dangerous hits.And for a while, it looked as if the Bengals would pay a steep price with eight penalties, three of which led to first downs.Somehow, they managed to regain their composure, avoided any defensive penalties in the fourth quarter and overcome the loss of Williams to snap an eight-game losing streak at Indy.Oddly enough, Clayton Fejedelem, Williams’ replacement, wound up saving the game after Pro Bowl tight end Jack Doyle appeared to convert a third-and-15 into a first down by contorting his body around the Bengals 15-yard line.Instead, Fejedelem, the second defender on the play, delivered a textbook lesson by knocking the ball out, quickly scooping it up and sprinting down the sideline for the clinching score.“You don’t get time to hiccup or flinch White Duke Dawson Jerseys ,” Lewis said. “You’ve just got to keep playing.”The Colts learned that lesson the hard way, too.After taking a 23-10 lead midway through the third quarter, it appeared the Colts might finally end the second-half troubles from last season. This time, they unraveled again.A.J. Green split Indy’s two deep safeties — Clayton Geathers and Malik Hooker — for a 38-yard TD catch and after Adam Vinatieri’s rare miss on a 55-yard field goal, the Bengals capitalized by driving for Joe Mixon’s leaping 1-yard score to take the lead. Indy was called for three defensive penalties on the second series, including an inexplicable pass interference call on Geathers on third-and-15.“I thought we played good, just penalties in the end killed us,” Colts defensive end Margus Hunt said after recording two sacks against his former team. “We just need to keep playing football.”SECOND CHANCEDoyle has been one of the Colts’ most reliable players over the past few seasons.So the fumble was out of character and teammates quickly came to his defense, starting with Luck.“Jack cares about this game as much as any guy I’ve ever played around,” he said. “He’s an incredible person, an incredible teammates and he’s a great friend. So you give him a big hug. He’s going to be all right. He’s going to be fine.”NEW OFFENSESThe Bengals and Colts have new offensive coordinators and revamped offensive lines, and both showed promise after slow starts.Andy Dalton and Luck were each picked off on their first passes of the afternoon before settling down and delivering more typical performances.Luck was 39 of 53 with 319 yards and two touchdowns in his first regular season start since having shoulder surgery in January 2017. Dalton was 21 of 28 with 243 yards and two scores.Each was sacked twice.GIVING IT AWAYThe Colts lost seven halftime leads in 2017, falling one game short of matching the NFL record.And a coaching change didn’t help Indy find its finishing touch Sunday. The Colts gave up 24 points over the final 20 minutes, allowing the Bengals to spoil Luck’s long-awaited return.TOUGH GRINDWhile the passing games appeared to be in sync, the ground games left more to be desired.Mixon carried 17 times for 95 yards Duke Dawson Jerseys 2019 , but the Bengals only had three other rushing attempts and wound up with 101 yards.Indy, meanwhile, relied heavily on rookies Jordan Wilkins and Nyheim Hines in their pro debuts. Wilkins carried 14 times for 49 yards, while Hines had five attempts for 19 yards and caught seven passes for 33 yards.Both teams need to be more effective on the ground this season. CINCINNATI (AP)Vontaze Burfict refused to shake the Steelers’ hands at midfield last October, and added to the insult by kicking one of them during the first quarter. Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell tweeted after Pittsburgh’s 29-14 win that the Bengals linebacker ought to be kicked out of the NFL. There’s no holding back in this rivalry. The AFC North rivals get a chance to add a few more flourishes – for better or worse – to a nasty series that has played out not only on the field, but in social media exchanges and end zone celebrations as well. The Steelers (9-2) and the Bengals (5-6) don’t like each other, and they don’t hide it. It’s on Twitter. It’s on the field. It’ll be back at Paul Brown Stadium – the scene of the rivalry’s most memorable moment – on Monday night in the game the Bengals need to win to have a chance of salvaging their season. ”It’s all about the story lines,” Bengals safety George Iloka said. ”Will we play well in primetime? Will we get the game that we need? How many games have we lost to them in a row? I know the story lines.” So do the Steelers, who are off to their best start since 2004. They’ve won five straight against Cincinnati and eight of nine in the series, a span that includes the Bengals’ playoff meltdown at Paul Brown Stadium during the 2015 season. That’s the one in which Burfict hit Antonio Brown in the head in the closing seconds, moving the Steelers in range for the winning field goal. They’ve been going at it ever since, even when they’re far away from each other playing other teams. In November, Bengals receiver A.J. Green was ejected in Jacksonville for grabbing cornerback Jalen Ramsey around the neck, tackling him and punching him. The Steelers’ reaction? In their next game against Indianapolis, Bell and receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster celebrated a touchdown by re-enacting the Green-Ramsey confrontation . ”I thought it was funny White Danny Etling Jerseys , so we wanted to make it a celebration,” Bell said this week. ”We weren’t trying to downplay them or make A.J. Green feel a certain way. We just thought that situation was funny how it turned out and ran with it.” They weren’t laughing in Cincinnati, where several story lines will play out Monday night. PRIME-TIMERS The Steelers love the night-time stage . They’ve won 10 straight prime-time games, including three already this season against the Lions (Sunday night), the Titans (Thursday night) and the Packers (last Sunday night). Following their game in Cincinnati, they host the Ravens on Sunday night. ”All your peers are watching, all your family is watching, your friends, people all over the world,” Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger said. ”So it’s fun when you put on a good show.” For the Bengals, it’s been a horrific time slot. They’re 11-23 on Monday night, dropping their past three, and 3-14 on Sunday night. PATS ON THE BRAIN? Steelers coach Mike Tomlin raised eyebrows when he openly talked about Pittsburgh’s Dec. 17 meeting with New England during a taped interview before the Steelers narrowly escaped the Packers. Roethlisberger downplayed it, calling it part of a coach’s job to look down the road. Safety Mike Mitchell however, thinks it’s only natural to have what could be the game of the season in the AFC highlighted. ”I’m going to prepare for the Cincinnati Bengals because that’s who we play this week Danny Etling Jerseys 2019 ,” Mitchell said. ”But you’re … not the smartest human in the world if you’re not thinking about them.” GET `EM DOWN: The Steelers have the league’s fourth-ranked defense, but they’ve allowed a touchdown of at least 50 yards or more in each of the past three games, including two last week to unproven Green Bay backup quarterback Brett Hundley. Pittsburgh has to get that part fixed. ”It’s fitting to get real,” linebacker Bud Dupree said. ”So these next couple months is the most important months of the year.” BURFICT’S BEHAVIOR: Burfict’s kick at Steelers running back Roosevelt Nix in the October game drew a $12,154 fine. Burfict wasn’t a factor in the Steelers’ 29-14 win. He was on the field for all 69 defensive plays and finished with only four tackles, no sacks, no pass breakups and no tackle for a loss. How will he put his mark on this game? NO `INT’ IN DALTON: Andy Dalton threw an interception during the third quarter of the loss at Heinz Field, and hasn’t thrown another since then. He’s gone five games and 140 attempts without being picked off, the longest streak by a Bengals quarterback since Akili Smith in 2000. Dalton is only 3-10 against the Steelers with 15 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. During the second half of the loss at Pittsburgh, the Bengals managed only one first down and 19 yards total. — AP Sports Writer Will Graves in Pittsburgh contributed to this report. —