The Steelers’ Defense Embarrassed Themselves On Thursday Night Football

The Pittsburgh Steelers should have had a free win against the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday Night Football in Week 7, but the defense had other plans. Joe Flacco was putting on a clinic against them, and there was nothing they could do about it. Aaron Rodgers did everything that he could, but Flacco proved to be too much in the Icy Hot Bowl. The Steelers let one slip through the cracks. They do it every year. 

Defensive Disaster

Pittsburgh has the highest-paid defense in the NFL, but they let Flacco make them look like scrubs. The Bengals scored points on seven of their ten offensive drives. Flacco went 31 for 47 with 342 yards and three touchdown passes. Chase Brown hadn’t eclipsed 47 rushing yards in a game until he faced the Steelers and took 11 attempts for 108 yards. Ja’Marr Chase was targeted 23 times and caught 16 passes for 161 yards and a touchdown. Tee Higgins caught six passes for 96 yards and a touchdown. 

Pittsburgh threw the kitchen sink at Cincinnati, but they didn’t have answers for Chase and Higgins. It didn’t matter what scheme they came out in. Chase didn’t have a single catch over 20 yards. They essentially fried the Steelers using quick slants like a kid on Madden. The Bengals’ offensive line is terrible, yet Pittsburgh only got two sacks. Flacco was getting the ball out quickly enough to neutralize the pass rush. If the secondary could’ve guarded, it would’ve supplied more time for the pass rush to get home. 

The Steelers’ defense has to be better. They have to wear the blame for the Week Seven loss, but the referees did everything they could to save Cincinnati. There was a clear agenda on national television to save the Bengals’ season that looked bleak until that game. Pittsburgh shot itself in both feet, making it tough to blame outside factors, but a couple of those calls turned the game in Cincinnati’s favor. Maybe they liked that the Bengals were wearing the same colors as them.