The Pittsburgh Steelers aim to bounce back in Week 8 as they host the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night at Acrisure Stadium. There are plenty of storylines heading into the matchup, but many Steelers fans are still trying to wrap their heads around the team's 33-31 Week 7 loss against the Cincinnati Bengals. It was undoubtedly Pittsburgh's worst defensive performance of the season, but despite the struggles, the unit still had an opportunity to win the game with a stop in the final minutes, which they weren't able to do.
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Steelers defensive lineman Keeanu Benton makes a tackle during Pittsburgh's 33-31 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 7 of the 2025 season.
The Steelers took a 31-30 lead with 2:21 left to play in the game when Pat Freiermuth reeled in a pass from Aaron Rodgers and took it 68 yards to the house. The first thought that came to mind for many Steelers fans when Freiermuth crossed the goal line was, "there's too much time on the clock," and there indeed was. Cincinnati marched right down the field, covering 52 yards in eight plays to set up the game-winning field goal by Evan McPherson to give the Bengals the 33-31 victory.
While speaking to the media on Thursday, Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin explained Pittsburgh's ideology for that final drive, and why it didn't work.
"With the kicker, they really only had to go about 25 or 30 yards to get to field goal range. My thoughts were, 'Hey, let's play this thing stout,'" Austin said. "'Let's get up on them and don't allow them to run and bleed the clock down.' Then we just didn't hold up.'"
Cincinnati picked up 15 and then 18 yards on back-to-back passes from Joe Flacco to Jamar Chase, setting up the Bengals with a 1st and 10 at their own 45-yard line just after the two-minute warning. Two plays later, Flacco hit Tee Higgins for 28 yards up to the Pittsburgh 7-yard line, setting up a chip shot for McPherson. The Bengals ran out the clock and forced the Steelers to use all of their timeouts before taking the lead with just seven seconds to play.
Austin claims his philosophy for that final drive was to stop the run. To be fair, the Steelers did, as the only Cincinnati run play during that drive went for only two yards, but it was after they had already gotten into comfortable field goal range. Point being, with two minutes left in a one-point game, Austin turned his attention away from Cincinnati's play-making wide receiver duo, which ended up costing them the game.
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Steelers Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin.
It was a tough ending for a defense that had made progress in recent weeks, but the breakdowns in coverage and execution late in the game erased much of that improvement. The Steelers entered the contest confident after holding opponents 21 points or less in three straight outings, yet the Bengals exposed several weaknesses that hadn’t shown up during that stretch. Missed tackles, poor communication in the secondary, and a lack of pressure on Flacco during key downs all played a role in the collapse.
The frustration was visible on the sideline and in the locker room afterward. Players admitted that they didn’t execute well enough in crunch time, and that the communication on the final drive simply wasn’t there.
Steelers' Upcoming Schedule Features More Explosive Offenses
As mentioned, the Steelers will battle the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night, and it will be another impressive offensive attack going against the Steelers' defense. The Packers are top seven in the league in points per game, averaging just over 26 points per contest. Their hard-nosed run game led by Josh Jacobs alongside the continued improvement in the passing game from Jordan Love has led the Packers to a 4-1-1 start to 2025 as they currently sit in first place in the NFC North.
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.
Things won't get much easier for Pittsburgh in Week 9 either, as they host the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts come in with the highest scoring offense in the league led by the league's leading rusher, Jonathan Taylor. Pittsburgh will travel to face the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 10 before their rematch with the Bengals in Week 11.
What are your thoughts on Austin's explanation of the final drive against the Bengals? Comment below!
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