The Pittsburgh Steelers are on top in their AFC North battle against the Cincinnati Bengals as they hold a 16-7 lead at the break.

The Steelers took the lead on their first possession when Ben Roethlisberger picked apart the Bengals' defense with a series of short passes before he handed off to DeAngelo Williams to plow over the goalline for a the touchdown.

Cincinnati spurned the chance to level the scores despite driving the length of the field, but quarterback Andy Dalton saw his pass intercepted by Stephon Tuitt. To add insult to injury Dalton was injured making a tackle on the play, ruling him out of the contest.

The Steelers extended their lead through a field goal from Chris Boswell, while Bengals backup quarterback AJ McCarron helped his side move into range for a response but Mike Nugent missed a 54-yard effort.

Boswell kicked his second field goal of the game to edge the visitors further ahead, but the Bengals rallied when McCarron sent the ball deep down the sideline and AJ Green beat two defenders for the ball to stroll into the endzone.

However, Boswell displayed his accuracy again before the break to kick his side into a nine-point lead with an effort from 45 yards.