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Ja'Marr Chase's Postgame Comment Fuels Concerns About Mike Tomlin

Originally posted on The Spun | By Chris Rosvoglou | Last updated Oct 17, 2025 12:03 PM ET

Ja'Marr Chase didn't just power the Cincinnati Bengals to a much-needed win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night, he made a statement that should have fans concerned about Mike Tomlin.

The Steelers had no answer for Chase, who hauled in 16 passes for 161 yards and a touchdown. It was the ninth time in his career that he had at least 150 receiving yards. What made this performance so impressive was that he barely had time to practice with his new quarterback, Joe Flacco.

“Last week it opened my eyes, just with the simple things,” Flacco said in regards to throwing passes to Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. “And today I saw how the defense has to treat those guys. And if you don’t treat them a certain way, they can hurt you. And if you do treat them a certain way, we’ve got some other guys who can get the job done. Today I got to see the problems they create."

Chase spoke highly about Flacco during his postgame media availability. He also threw shad at Pittsburgh's defense.

Pittsburgh getting predictable?

During a postage interview on Prime Video, Chase admit the Steelers did exactly what he expected them to do on defense. That's not exactly a ringing endorsement for Tomlin.

"They did exactly what we were expecting and hoping they'd do," Chase said, via TribLIVE. "Man (coverage). We knew they were going to put Joey (Porter Jr.) on Tee (Higgins) and put Jalen (Ramsey) on me. We knew that we were ready for it. We knew that we were going to take advantage of those opportunities."

Tomlin has not responded to these comments from Chase. At this point, there's nothing he can say that'll turn down the temperature in Pittsburgh.

Until Tomlin proves he can avoid letdown games, Steelers fans will continue to complain about his job security.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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