How did the Steelers lose to the Bengals this past Thursday?

The answer to why the Steelers lost to Joe Flacco and the Bengals is a lot more simple than most are willing to admit.

Allow me to illustrate the feeling in Steelers Nation before that embarrassing loss to the Bengals on Thursday night.

Part of the fan base came in riding high after a few wins. Others called it the dreaded Tomlin trap game. Then there’s the small group of us wondering why anyone is surprised.

This team swapped quarterbacks late in the offseason — Russell Wilson walked, Aaron Rodgers signed in June — prior to that, they made a trade for DK Metcalf. That’s not normal for Pittsburgh. And yes, the Rodgers‑to‑Metcalf/Pickens idea sounded fun until it was taken away.

The Steelers shipped George Pickens to Dallas, didn’t spend a premium pick at receiver, and still don’t have a true No. 2 behind DK. Yet the offense has been productive and, in the context of this Bengals game, effective.

So what happened?

Two ugly realities.

First, coaching. Why expect different results when nothing changed with the coaching personnel? Tomlin still sets the defensive standard. Tomlin didn’t adjust when Joe Flacco started playing Madden 25 with the sliders adjusted on our defense. The play calling as a whole was atrocious and questionable.

Second, the defense. They flat out sucked. You can point to a couple of drives and try to spin them, but you’d be fooling yourself. The NFL’s highest‑paid defense gave up layups, and no adjustments were made. Higgins and Chase had way too much space. The pass rush didn’t pressure Joe Flacco. One sack isn’t acceptable for this front. Missed tackles piled on.

What happened to T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward? By the fourth quarter, I had to check the box to see if they were out there. These are recurring, inexcusable issues. There are no off weeks in the NFL. This loss — a divisional loss — can shape your January. I don’t care about non‑losing seasons under Tomlin’s tenure. I care about making the playoffs. Drop a game like this, and it can bite you in the butt later.

And the worst part: this was a game the Steelers should have won. The offense showed more juice than we’ve seen in years. The loss came down to a bad defensive night and poor coaching. Fix those two things now, or we’re signing up for another rerun of the last decade. If it’s too late to make big changes, then find another way.

The fire‑Tomlin crowd is getting louder in Pittsburgh. Losses like these are the reason why.