The Pittsburgh Steelers were riding high heading into their Week 7 matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals, but the group took a step back as the team lost by a final score of 33-31. The offense looked great on that side of the football aside from two turnovers, and a lot of the concern surrounding Pittsburgh stems from the defense struggling to defend against the run and the pass. That side of the ball needs to figure things out as the expectations were high for that group entering the 2025 season, and so far it has been a large disappointment.
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Steelers' Mike Tomlin unhappy during a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals during the 2025 season.
The defense for Pittsburgh was carved up by Joe Flacco and the Bengals' offense. The veteran quarterback seemed to be able to get anything that he wanted as he moved his team down the field seamlessly. The run game also provided a spark as the defense for the Steelers allowed Chase Brown to rip off multiple large gains on the ground in the second quarter.
Team insider Mark Kaboly spoke about the loss on a recent episode of Kaboly + Mack, where he questioned the adjustment and coaching on the defensive side of the ball.
"I mean, there was just no adjustments," Kaboly said. "I think they were afraid to get beaten over the top by these guys. Just a total disaster. When you realize what was happening here, why don't you play a little more press man? Is it talent, is it players? Is it coaching? It can't be both."
Pittsburgh was getting beat underneath and along the sidelines throughout the entire game. This comes from the defensive backs playing further off the line of scrimmage, allowing free releases. This allowed Flacco to complete a ton of short passes to keep the ball moving while allowing his wide receivers to make plays with the ball in their hands.
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Steelers cornerback Jalen Ramsey during a disappointing loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on the road in the 2025 season.
Kaboly spoke about Pittsburgh employing these certain defensive strategies, and he acknowledged that it seemed like the Steelers were afraid of getting beat deep. That is a fair fear when playing the prolific wide receiver duo that the Bengals have, but it also goes against everything Pittsburgh did during the 2025 offseason. The organization re-worked the secondary by bringing in Darius Slay and trading for Jalen Ramsey. It is completely pointless to be scared of getting beat deep after making those moves.
The Steelers were seemingly scared of getting beat deep, yet the defense still got beat deep. Tee Higgins caught a ball down the left sideline to essentially ice the game and Andrei Iosivas caught an easy deep ball down the middle of the field. The coaching and schematics have to be better for Pittsburgh going forward.
Steelers Need To Find A Defensive Fix In The Near Future
Pittsburgh has a tough stretch of games coming up as the group will take on the Green Bay Packers in Week 8 for Sunday Night Football, and then the Indianapolis Colts, who have been the clear surprise team of the 2025 regular season as they currently sit atop the AFC with a 6-1 record. Those are two offenses with a ton of talent, and the Steelers' defense is going to need to put forth a better effort when taking on those teams.
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Pittsburgh Steelers defensive captain Cam Heyward (97) sacks the Indianapolis Colts quarterback several seasons ago during a home game in Pittsburgh, PA.
The Steelers will also be taking on the Bengals again in four weeks, and a fix needs to be found before that game takes place. A repeat performance of what happened in Week 7 would be completely unacceptable, especially if it ended in another in-division loss. Whether it's Flacco again, or possibly Joe Burrow, Pittsburgh will have its hands full on defense.
What do you think about Kaboly's thoughts on the defense for Pittsburgh? Do you think they were afraid to get beat over the top? Let us know in the comments below!
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