Steelers' AFC North Rival Calls Out His Own Team In Hilarious Fashion As Drama Continues For Cincinnati

The Pittsburgh Steelers just narrowly won the AFC North in 2025. A Week 18 battle with the Baltimore Ravens ended up being one of the league's best matchups of the entire season, as the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns could only watch from home. Three of the four teams had a coaching change, which will certainly make for a fascinating 2026 campaign. There will be new systems and cultures implemented, and that could have a direct effect on which organization gets the opportunity to host a home playoff game. It's anyone's guess as to which collective that will be.

The only head coach that remained in place was Zac Taylor of the Bengals. It was a controversial decision, considering the team's ineffectiveness and inconsistencies in recent years. It has not helped that Joe Burrow has gone through several different injuries, but the franchise's defense also has been ranked as one of the NFL's worst since a Super Bowl trip back in the 2021 campaign.

In a recent exclusive interview that Ja'Marr Chase had with Russ Heltman of Sports Illustrated, the receiver was not shy about confirming that the Bengals' defense has been horrible. He has been actively letting the franchise know via the media that things need to change in that area, which certainly sends a sour message to those currently in the locker room that play on that side of the ball.

"Yeah, I mean, everybody pretty much knows what we need," Chase said. "You know, I've said it out in the media. All I can do is sit back and watch. I can't control — like I said — I cant control that, so all I can do is control my production. At the end of the day, I'm going to state my opinion on what we need, so, you know, I'll sit back and let the organization do what they do, and I just gotta let my play through the rest."

Chase is correct that everyone out there knows what Cincinnati needs, but saying it so openly and honestly could certainly rub his teammates the wrong way. There are some formidable players on the Bengals' defense, but it's going to be hard to put together a consistent unit on that side of the ball because of how much money the organization has invested in playmakers like Chase himself, Burrow, and Tee Higgins.

At some point, Cincinnati is going to need to reinvest financially in the defense. Draft picks are one way to go cheap and hope for the best; however, this cannot be the only avenue to improving the unit that has plagued the team for several years. The Steelers could probably take the opposite approach, as Pittsburgh has way too much financial commitment to the defense, while not paying up for the offensive side.

Chase's comments come at a strategic time. Cincinnati has roughly $100 million tied up in cap space for its three superstars, but has some wiggle room to spend on defense if it so chooses. With the offense pretty much set in stone, the wide receiver opening up about the team's needs is a direct message to the front office about what needs to happen, even if he backtracked and said he would let the organization take care of what needs to be done.

Leaders can sometimes say things publicly to motivate teammates, but this seemed like more of a very stern stance on the defense not being anywhere close to good enough. That won't always sit well, particularly when it's coming from a guy who is making about $40 million per year.

Steelers Hoping To Build On Offense To Beat Bengals' Upgrades On Defense

There's no doubt that Pittsburgh and Cincinnati will have sights on winning the AFC North in 2026. Both teams need to improve, but it seems as if those changes need to occur in different areas. When the two franchises face off for the first time, it will be intriguing to see which unit prevails, especially because the overall expectation is significant adjustments for the organizations, but on opposite sides of the ball.

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