The Pittsburgh Steelers suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday Night Football in Week 7 of the 2025 season. The score was 33-31 as the Bengals were able to kick a go-ahead field goal with little time left on the clock. This was an important game for Pittsburgh to come away with as it would have grown the lead in the AFC North, but the Steelers struggled and have now allowed their lead in the division to diminish.
Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' Mike Tomlin looks on during a Week 13 game in the 2024 regular season on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Pittsburgh scored 31 points in the loss as mentioned, which should usually be enough to win a game in the NFL. However, the defense struggled tremendously to slow down the run and got absolutely gashed through the air.
Cincinnati was able to rush for 142 yards on just 23 attempts, with some of those rushes being nullified due to them coming from Joe Flacco kneeling the ball down at the end of the game. Head Coach Mike Tomlin spoke to the media after the game and was asked about the rushing attack from the Bengals, and what exactly went wrong for Pittsburgh's defense in that regard.
"They popped a couple," Tomlin explained. "They did, man. We didn't do a good enough job of gap control. They popped a couple big ones, and it kind of created an unsteady environment."
Tomlin specifies the defensive struggles when it comes to gap control, which falls on the defensive line when playing against the run. The inside linebackers also play a role in this as each member of the defensive front is typically assigned to certain gaps in the event that the offense is running the football. Players struggled with that up front for Pittsburgh, which is something the coach highlighted after the loss.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' Mike Tomlin looks on during a loss on the road to the Cincinnati Bengals during the 2025 season.
The Bengals seemed to be able to get whatever they wanted on offense against Pittsburgh's defense. Flacco torched the secondary through the air while running back Chase Brown was able to have his best game of the season. He ran for 108 yards on just 11 carries, which included a 27-yard run and a 37-yard run in the second quarter, which both led to touchdowns for Cincinnati. Prior to this contest, Brown had not been able to eclipse 50 yards in a single game during the 2025 season.
Pittsburgh's defense wants to rely on being able to stop the run, but it has been something the group has struggled with in 2025. It was a struggle at the end of the 2024 season as well. It is a constant issue that does not seem to be getting fixed, which is completely unacceptable from the highest-paid defense in the NFL.
Steelers Have A Tough Task In Week 8 Against The Green Bay Packers
The Steelers' struggles stopping the run have clearly been an issue for a while now, and they might be on display again in Week 8 against the Green Bay Packers. Green Bay is currently 12th in the NFL when it comes to rushing on offense, and the team has one of the best running backs in the NFL in Josh Jacobs. The Packers also have the ability to open up their running game due to how effective the group is at passing the ball, which could make for a rough showing for Pittsburgh's defense.
Evan Siegle / Green Bay Packers
Jordan Love lines up for a snap against the Pittsburgh Steelers' defensive front during a regular season game in the 2023 season.
Thankfully, the Steelers have some extra time before their game against the Packers in Week 8, which will hopefully give the coaching staff and the players some time to figure out exactly what is going wrong defensively. The offense has been making great strides for Pittsburgh, but the defense needs to find a way to improve if this team wants any chance of competing.
What do you think of Tomlin's remarks? Let us know in the comments below!
#SteelerNation
