NFL game summary for 09/24/1972:
Horst Muhlmann made good on all five FG attempts to lead the Bengals into the AFC Central Division lead. The Bengals blunted the Steelers attack with three fumble recoveries and two partial blocks of FG tries. The game's lone TD by Terry Bradshaw on a 12-yard dash up the middle came after linebacker Andy Russell's fumble recovery at the Bengal 45 set the stage.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 141.0 (13) | 106.0 (20) | 247.0 (20) | 4 |
| DEFENSE | 97.0 (9) | 273.0 (26) | 370.0 (21) | 5 | |
 | OFFENSE | 246.0 (2) | 111.0 (19) | 357.0 (8) | 0 |
| DEFENSE | 54.0 (2) | 83.0 (3) | 137.0 (2) | 3 |
Line: Bengals by 2
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1-0) | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Cincinnati Bengals (2-0-0) | 3 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 15 |
( 0- 3) CIN Horst Muhlmann 41 yard field goal
( 7- 3) PIT Terry Bradshaw 12 yard rush (Roy Gerela kick)
(10- 3) PIT Roy Gerela 17 yard field goal
(10- 6) CIN Horst Muhlmann 32 yard field goal
(10- 9) CIN Horst Muhlmann 20 yard field goal
(10-12) CIN Horst Muhlmann 32 yard field goal
(10-15) CIN Horst Muhlmann 34 yard field goal
PIT CIN
First Downs: 14 13
Rushes-yards: 24-74 39-121
Yards/rush: 3.1 3.1
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 18-34-170-0 13-27-157-1
Sacked-yards: 4-39 1-9
Net pass yards: 131 148
Net yards/pass: 3.4 5.3
Total net yards: 205 269
Total plays: 62 (38% run) 67 (58% run)
Yards/play: 3.3 4.0
Fumbles-lost: 5-3 3-3
Turnovers: 3 4
Penalties-yards: 9-78 9-100
Attendance: 54,292
Passing:
PIT: Terry Bradshaw, 18 of 34 for 170 yards CIN: Ken Anderson, 13 of 27 for 157 yards (1 int)
Rushing:
PIT: Franco Harris, 13 for 35 yards; Preston Pearson, 7 for 12 yards; Terry Bradshaw, 3 for 27 yards and 1 TD; John McMakin, 1 for 0 yards CIN: Essex Johnson, 21 for 64 yards; Jess Phillips, 7 for 25 yards; Paul Robinson, 4 for 12 yards; Doug Dressler, 4 for 9 yards; Ken Anderson, 3 for 11 yards
Receiving:
PIT: Ron Shanklin, 6 for 82 yards; John McMakin, 4 for 24 yards; Dave Smith, 3 for 41 yards; Preston Pearson, 2 for 8 yards; Franco Harris, 2 for 7 yards; Al Young, 1 for 8 yards CIN: Bob Trumpy, 3 for 41 yards; Speedy Thomas, 3 for 28 yards; Jess Phillips, 3 for 17 yards; Chip Myers, 2 for 32 yards; Essex Johnson, 1 for 33 yards; Doug Dressler, 1 for 6 yards
Kick returns:
PIT: Franco Harris, 1 for 26 yards; Preston Pearson, 1 for 17 yards CIN: Lemar Parrish, 2 for 47 yards
Punt returns:
PIT: Rocky Bleier, 2 for 1 yard CIN: Tommy Casanova, 5 for 53 yards; Essex Johnson, 1 for 7 yards
Interceptions:
PIT: Jack Ham, 1 for 6 yards
Punting:
PIT: Bobby Walden, 6 for 290 yards CIN: Dave Lewis, 4 for 180 yards
Field Goals:
PIT: Roy Gerela, 1/4 CIN: Horst Muhlmann, 5/5
PIT: Terry Bradshaw, 18 of 34 for 170 yards CIN: Ken Anderson, 13 of 27 for 157 yards (1 int)
Rushing:
PIT: Franco Harris, 13 for 35 yards; Preston Pearson, 7 for 12 yards; Terry Bradshaw, 3 for 27 yards and 1 TD; John McMakin, 1 for 0 yards CIN: Essex Johnson, 21 for 64 yards; Jess Phillips, 7 for 25 yards; Paul Robinson, 4 for 12 yards; Doug Dressler, 4 for 9 yards; Ken Anderson, 3 for 11 yards
Receiving:
PIT: Ron Shanklin, 6 for 82 yards; John McMakin, 4 for 24 yards; Dave Smith, 3 for 41 yards; Preston Pearson, 2 for 8 yards; Franco Harris, 2 for 7 yards; Al Young, 1 for 8 yards CIN: Bob Trumpy, 3 for 41 yards; Speedy Thomas, 3 for 28 yards; Jess Phillips, 3 for 17 yards; Chip Myers, 2 for 32 yards; Essex Johnson, 1 for 33 yards; Doug Dressler, 1 for 6 yards
Kick returns:
PIT: Franco Harris, 1 for 26 yards; Preston Pearson, 1 for 17 yards CIN: Lemar Parrish, 2 for 47 yards
Punt returns:
PIT: Rocky Bleier, 2 for 1 yard CIN: Tommy Casanova, 5 for 53 yards; Essex Johnson, 1 for 7 yards
Interceptions:
PIT: Jack Ham, 1 for 6 yards
Punting:
PIT: Bobby Walden, 6 for 290 yards CIN: Dave Lewis, 4 for 180 yards
Field Goals:
PIT: Roy Gerela, 1/4 CIN: Horst Muhlmann, 5/5