The Pittsburgh Steelers' defense struggled throughout the majority of Thursday night's matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals. The unit coughed up a total of 33 points to one of the more inconsistent offenses to this point in 2025. A 40-year-old Joe Flacco was able to play at an elite level against Pittsburgh during all four quarters of the contest. The defense struggled to stop the Bengals on the ground and through the air for the majority of the night; and the defense as a whole will need to regroup and recover prior to its next game against the Green Bay Packers.
WLWT5
Steelers' Aaron Rodgers speaks with Bengals' Joe Flacco after a loss in the 2025 season.
A number of fans and analysts around the football world have continued to question Pittsburgh's defensive unit as a whole following the loss in Cincinnati. The unit entered the season as one of the best defenses in all of football, but the Steelers have struggled immensely in recent weeks. ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler recently took a moment to share his thoughts on the unit's performance from Thursday night during an appearance on SportsCenter, as the insider revealed he was in the locker room following the matchup.
Fowler claimed there was a mix of confusion and anger circulating around the locker room following the contest.
"I was at the locker room last night, and there was a mix of confusion and really anger." Fowler stated. "Talking to Cam Heyward, TJ Watt, they were just talking about how unacceptable this performance was. Mainly from a run-defense standpoint. We know that Joe Flacco was getting his yards and Ja'Marr Chase can go off when he does get one-on-one coverage."
Fowler continued to talk about the Steelers' run defense, as the insider believes there is still major room for improvement moving forward.
"They want to clean up their matchups on the back end, but they feel like that is only elevated when you can get it done with the run defense. The Steelers have always prided themselves on that."
The Bengals were able to run all over the Steelers' defense for the majority of the contest. Chase Brown was credited with 108 yards on 11 carries throughout the game, and Pittsburgh will need to do a much better job at stopping the run moving forward. The Steelers will face superstar running back Josh Jacobs in Week 7 in Pittsburgh and shutting Jacobs down will play a crucial role throughout the entire course of the contest.
The Steelers' defense struggled mightily against the Bengals. The unit gave up a total of 342 yards through the air and Ja'Marr Chase was credited with an eye-opening 161 yards on 16 receptions. Pittsburgh will need to stop both the run and passing game against Green Bay on Sunday as the Steelers will look to turn the page and get back in the win column.
Kareem Elgazzar / Cincinnati Enquirer
Cincinnati Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase attempting to make a catch against the Steelers defense.
Steelers Dealt With Questionable Officiating On Both Sides Of The Ball
The officiating in Thursday night's matchup has continued to raise concern from a number of fans and analysts across social media. Aaron Rodgers threw a deep ball to DK Metcalf towards the end of the first half that resulted in an interception, but many feel as if the ball may have started to move prior to DJ Turner being down.
The final score of the matchup was 33-31, and a potential blown call by the officiating crew on a play that most likely should have resulted in an incomplete pass resulted in the Steelers losing a crucial possession.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf (4) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025 in Dublin, Ireland.
The officiating crew made a number of questionable calls throughout the night. The secondary was plagued with multiple momentum shifting calls and the Steelers as a whole were penalized a total of seven different times for 59 yards. The defense will look to play a much cleaner game against the Packers next Sunday night but the officiating crew in Thursday night's matchup was certainly concerning.
Pittsburgh will need to put emphasis on stopping the run against Jacobs and Green Bay next weekend. The defense has continued to struggle for a large portion of the year but Rodgers and the offense have excelled in recent weeks. The Steelers will host the Packers in Pittsburgh for Sunday Night Football next weekend as the Steelers' defense will look to play at a much higher level.
#SteelerNation
