Bengals’ Brown Is Handful for Steelers to Catch in 42-7 Rout

CINCINNATI —  Eddie Brown turned a handful of big plays into the biggest day ever by a Cincinnati Bengals receiver.

Brown scored 2 touchdowns and had a team-record 216 yards receiving Sunday as the Bengals overwhelmed the Pittsburgh Steelers, 42-7, with a big play offense.

Brown had receptions of 86, 41, 38 and 24 yards as the Bengals totaled 559 yards. His shortest reception was a 6-yard touchdown catch that gave the Bengals a 35-7 lead early in the third quarter.

“I look forward to the big play,” said Brown, who came into the game averaging nearly 23 yards per catch. “That’s really the thing about this game--make something happen. That’s what we’ve been doing because we have a big-play offense.”

Brown didn’t waste time, combining with quarterback Boomer Esiason on an 86-yard touchdown pass play on the Bengals’ second play of the game. The Bengals scored touchdowns on each of their first three possessions.

Esiason, the quarterback in the top-ranked offense in the AFC, completed 16 of 23 passes for 318 yards and 3 touchdown passes, his first scoring passes in 3 weeks.

Brown surpassed Cris Collinsworth’s record of 206 yards receiving in a 1983 game against Baltimore.

The Bengals improved to 8-2 by completing their first season sweep of the Steelers since 1985. Pittsburgh’s 2-8 record is its worst since 1969, when the Steelers went 1-13 in Chuck Noll’s first season as head coach.

James Brooks capped drives with 3 touchdown runs, and rookie Ickey Woods had his second 100-yard rushing game to balance Esiason’s passing.

Brown has 8 touchdown catches and 1,015 receiving yards this season.

Brown and Esiason opened the scoring by combining on the third-longest pass play in Bengals’ history.

Esiason froze the Steelers’ secondary with a fake handoff, and Brown outran cornerback Dwayne Woodruff on the 86-yard touchdown play.

Pittsburgh put together its only touchdown drive on its next possession, with quarterback Bubby Brister running the final 9 yards.

Esiason hit Tim McGee on a quick slant at the goal line for a 5-yard touchdown pass on the Bengals’ next possession, completing an 86-yard drive in 10 plays.

The Bengals went to the ground to put the game out of reach early in the third quarter. Woods broke a 56-yard run that led to Brooks’ 2-yard score for a 28-7 lead, and Esiason lobbed a scoring pass to Brown less than 4 minutes later.

Esiason’s 41-yard pass to Brown set up Brooks’ 9-yard touchdown run for the final score in the fourth quarter.

Woods carried 10 times for 110 yards.