Things were looking bright for the Pittsburgh Steelers entering Week 7. They had just come off a dominating win over the Cleveland Browns, and they were sitting atop their division at 4-1. While they had a short week before their next game, it was against the Cincinnati Bengals, who had been in free fall since Joe Burrow got hurt. That looked like a very winnable game. Unfortunately, the Steelers came up short, losing 33-31 to the Bengals and killing much of their momentum.
“Joe Flacco was hot,” Jerome Bettis said Friday on The Dan Patrick Show. “He sliced apart my Pittsburgh Steelers, and it didn’t look good. When you score 30 points, you should win the game. That’s just how it works in Pittsburgh because that defense always shows up and is ready to play. The problem is they’re just not getting their production in that front seven, which is putting the guys in the secondary at risk.
“Nobody’s playing well. The back end, they’re not playing particularly well. The front seven, they’re giving up too much yards in the run game. This is one thing the Steelers never gave up was a 100-yard rusher.”
The Steelers indeed had an ugly showing defensively against the Bengals. Once again, they couldn’t stop the run. Even though the Bengals had the worst rushing attack in the league, the Steelers let them run for almost 150 yards. Considering the talent the Steelers’ defense has, that’s inexcusable.
And that wasn’t that unit’s only shortcoming. For as bad as it was against the run, the Steelers’ defense had just as many issues against the pass. Joe Flacco hasn’t been with the Bengals very long, but you wouldn’t know it based on how he looked against Pittsburgh. Flacco did, as Bettis said, slice up the Steelers’ defense, throwing for 342 yards and three touchdowns.
The Bengals didn’t do anything that should’ve surprised the Steelers, either. They attacked with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, two receivers with whom the Steelers are very familiar. However, that’s a two-way street. Cincinnati is also very aware of how Pittsburgh likes to defend those two receivers. The Bengals used that to their advantage.
Also, the Steelers’ pass rush cooled off after finding its groove over the last few weeks. Flacco was only sacked twice, despite the Bengals’ offensive line being one of the league’s worst. The Steelers’ pass rushers should’ve had a field day. Instead, they couldn’t get consistent pressure on a 40-year-old QB who wasn’t known for his mobility in his prime.
A host of errors led to the Steelers losing to the Bengals. They continue to deal with many of the same problems. They can’t stop the run, miscommunication hinders them, and their stars disappear when needed most. Bettis is right to be frustrated. The Steelers’ defense has been a massive disappointment, especially considering their history on that side of the ball.
