Now that a few days have passed since the Pittsburgh Steelers’ disappointing loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Ohio on a game-winning field goal late in the fourth quarter for a 33-31 final, looking back raises some serious red flags about the state of the Steelers after six games. My first thought after the game was that Pittsburgh’s secondary needed some serious help. While it was said that a wide receiver should be the team’s goal before the trade deadline expired, my opinion was that a defensive back would go much further to help the team.
Then, after watching some analysis on ESPN and the pundits talking about the defensive schemes Pittsburgh used with Cincinnati, my eyes turned to defensive coordinator Teryl Austin. I believe that on any other team, after a defensive performance like the one the Steelers put up, it would result in a DC being fired. Until last season, the Pittsburgh Steelers did not have a history of firing coaches during the season.
That changed when they fired Matt Canada as offensive coordinator in November of last season. I had called for Austin’s firing before the season started due to the defensive collapse during last year’s five-game losing streak to end the regular season and playoffs. But defensive additions from free agency bringing in seasoned veterans like Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay would improve the defense. After the victory against the Cleveland Browns in Week 6, the defense had its best game of the season.
Then came the Bengals and an old enemy in Joe Flacco. Looking at the game as a whole, it was a complete disaster for everyone on defense and the blame has to be placed on Mike Tomlin for poor preparation and more so on Teryl Austin for not developing a better defensive plan. At first, I thought the team lacked more talented secondary athletes. On reflection, I think this team is very talented defensively, but what the Bengals did to them on Thursday Night is not only embarrassing but shameful.
Steelers fans will remember the 2024 season, in which the schedule featured back-to-back games against the Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs, and then the Baltimore Ravens. These consecutive games were called the “gauntlet”. Now what awaits the Steelers is the Packers on Sunday Night Football in Pittsburgh, a second game the following week also at home against the Colts, then a trip out west to face the Chargers. As of this writing, these three teams have a combined record of 12-3-1. Get ready, Steelers fans.
At 4-2, I believe the Steelers NEED to win at least one of these three. If that happens, the Steelers would be 5-4 after these games. There’s a chance they lose all three and it’s doable. After these three, the schedule is more favorable to them. It includes a rematch with Cincinnati at Pittsburgh, the Bears on the road, Buffalo at home, the Ravens at Baltimore, Miami at home, Detroit on the road, at Cleveland and a finale with Baltimore.
There will definitely be some losses in these last nine games and from my perspective I can predict a better record of 12-5. At worst, the Steelers could easily finish 10-7. Either outcome should put them back in the playoffs and guarantee Mike Tomlin another winning season. But first and foremost, the defense needs to find out who they really are and establish an identity and not have a strong play here and a mediocre play there.
As for the Bengals’ final game, Mike Tomlin must hate Thursday Night Football. After all, his record on this night for his career is 2-10 and he has never beaten an AFC North rival to go 0-6 for his career. As for the defense, I think Austin needs to go and if I were Mike Tomlin I would promote Karl Dunbar to DC. Dunbar is an outstanding coach currently in charge of the defensive linemen.
Karl Dunbar is in his eighth season as the Steelers’ defensive line coach and his 19th year as a defensive line coach in the NFL. He was hired by the Steelers on February 8, 2018. There is too much talent in this Steelers defense to allow the Bengals to run around them like they did in the 33-31 loss, so if Teryl Austin has no idea what he’s doing to set up the defense against an opponent, he needs to go.
What Joe Flacco and his offense have done to the Steelers again is embarrassing and inexcusable. Don’t get me wrong. Ja’Marr Chase is a beast. He’s actually one of, if not the best receiver in the NFL right now. He’s tough to defend and a game changer, but he and the Bengals, while beating the Steelers, are still 3-4 this season. Still, Chase, Flacco and Tee Higgins’ numbers in this win are downright ridiculous.
Ja’Marr Chase set a record in this game for most receptions for a game in team history. Thanks, Steelers. He was targeted 23 times. On his 16 receptions, 161 yards were gained. Let me say that again…161 yards. His average per reception was 10.1 yards. Then there was Tee Higgins with 96 more yards receiving and a per catch average of 16.0. The receiver’s numbers were downright crazy. Andri Iosivas (who?) caught three passes but his average per catch was 16.3 yards. Noah Fant, with four more receptions, averaged 11.0. Let my friends be a first try on every take for these guys.
Flacco? Try 342 passing yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions and only two sacks. So the Steelers, who had been plagued by a weak run defense, gave up 108 rushing yards to Chase Brown and a stupid 9.8 average per carry. Cincinnati had 27 first downs compared to 19 against the Steelers. The Bengals ran 72 offensive plays and Pittsburgh ran 54. But Cincinnati’s 470 total yards are simply inexcusable.
So let’s talk about this Pittsburgh defense that apparently fixed its problems a week ago. Maybe the short week played a role, but I’ll put the blame on Mike Tomlin for not preparing his defense and again on Tyrel Austin for a terrible game plan. Six quarterback hits were all the defense could muster. Third in the league in sacks received, the Steelers managed only two. Only six passes were defended.
The Steelers newest this season in free agency are Jalen Ramsey, Darius Slay, Juan Thornhill and Brandin Echols. All of them are secondary players and look at the results especially in this match. Is it a lack of talent or intrigue? I’d say both, but I’d lean more toward defensive game planning, because I’m betting Ja’Marr Chase won’t repeat that past performance this season.
Now, let’s talk about offense. This is not a problem at all. I am now convinced that the Steelers, Omar Khan and Mike Tomlin made the right decision in signing Aaron Rodgers. The old man can still play. He proves it match after match. He is a winner and his experience shines through in every game. The Steelers offense can provide enough firepower to beat any team in the NFL if the defense holds up its end of the bargain. That’s not what they’re doing now.
Up by 10 and then down by 10, Rodgers brought the Steelers back to take a 31-30 lead with about two minutes left, and the defense couldn’t hold on to the lead. It’s a shame because Rodgers and the offense played a fantastic game with a great offensive plan. That can’t be said for the defense, so credit to Arthur Smith for doing his job.
Although he wasn’t as productive as Cincinnati’s numbers, Rodgers threw a terrible interception and then a second when DK Metcalf couldn’t get a pass from Rodgers. Both of these resulted in points for the Bengals on the board, which stings. But that said, look at the offensive numbers. Rodgers finished with 249 passing yards and four touchdowns. His quarterback rating was 103.7.
Then there was Jaylen Warren, who rushed for 127 yards to have his best game of the season. An average of 7.9 yards per carry. What most Steelers fans wanted all along were passes to the tight ends. It finally came to fruition when Rodgers found Pat Freiermuth for five receptions and 111 yards, Jonnu Smith for three more and a touchdown, and big Darnell Washington for three as well with also a touchdown although his three catches only went for two yards. Freiermuth scored twice, starting the score at 31-30.
On camera, as the Bengals drove to the game-winning field goal, Aaron Rodgers could be seen shaking his head. He knew he was doing his job and the defense wasn’t doing theirs. The defense was obviously the only weak point in this defeat. Ke’Shawn Williams returned three kickoffs for an impressive 30.3 yards per return and Kenneth Gainwell returned three more for a mark of 29.3.
Now the Steelers have a longer break to prepare for the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night and this should be a fun game to watch as Aaron Rodgers gets a chance against the team he played almost his entire career for and the same club that gave up on him so Jordan Love could take over. The same thing happened to Brett Favre when Rodgers replaced him, so you have to wonder if Rodgers has a revenge factor on his mind. He had a bit of that in the first game of the season when the Steelers knocked off the Jets.
Once again, Steelers faithful, get ready for the next three weeks. This is going to be a journey fraught with pitfalls.
