Thursday night in Cincinnati ended with a 33-31 defeat for the Pittsburgh Steelers, a game decided by an Evan McPherson field goal with seven seconds remaining that capped a dramatic Bengals comeback and left Pittsburgh’s defense searching for answers.
Offense did enough to win
The offense did enough to win, leaning on a balanced attack that featured a physical ground performance from Jaylen Warren, who finished with 16 carries for 127 yards and chipped in 4 catches for 31 yards, giving Pittsburgh consistent positive-yardage plays and clock control.
Aaron Rodgers performance
Aaron Rodgers turned in an efficient, high-impact night, completing 23 of 34 passes for 249 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions, producing enough big plays to build a 10-point first-half lead and keep the Steelers in position to close the game.
Flacco, Ja’Marr Chase and Chase Brown
Joe Flacco outdueled the Steelers late, completing 31 of 47 passes for 342 yards and three touchdowns, while Ja’Marr Chase dominated the target share with 16 catches on 23 targets for 161 yards and a touchdown, and Cincinnati’s Chase Brown produced an unexpected ground explosion with 11 carries for 108 yards, all of which fueled long, drive-extending possessions that wore down Pittsburgh’s defense.
Defensive breakdowns and rushing concerns
The more troubling story remains the Steelers’ defense, which surrendered chunk plays through the air and uncharacteristic production on the ground to a Bengals rushing attack that had been one of the league’s weakest; breakdowns in gap integrity and too-frequent missed tackles turned short-yardage plays into third-and-manageable situations and late-game scoring opportunities.
Tomlin pattern and game-prep critique
This loss feeds a familiar narrative under Mike Tomlin that the Steelers often drop one or two games per season they were widely expected to win, prompting questions about short-week preparation and game-to-game readiness; repeated instances of slow second-half starts and reactive in-game adjustments suggest the staff must re-examine situational planning and motivational detail work.
What must change
Fixing these issues requires clearer defensive accountability, improved tackling and gap control up front, and sharper situational coaching from the staff; the offense showed it can put up points, but unless the defense closes and the coaching staff eliminates predictable lapses, Pittsburgh risks more losses in games it should win.
(photo courtesy of NFL.com)