Two-time All Pro linebacker James Harrison led a fierce Pittsburgh Steelers defense for years, winning Defensive Player of the Year in 2008.
Now, the franchise legend is watching his former team’s defense struggle in the 2025 season.
The Steelers’ defense was absolutely shredded by 40-year-old quarterback Joe Flacco and the Cincinnati Bengals’ offense on Thursday night, surrendering 470 total yards in the 33-31 loss.
Harrison addressed Pittsburgh’s defensive struggles with a strong message during an episode of his “Deebo and Joe” podcast on Friday.
“We’re not going to go nowhere [with this current defense],” Harrison said. “These offenses that we’re going to face in the next 4-5 weeks, they ain’t turning the rock over like that. They’re doing things more effectively than anybody that we’ve played yet… If we come out there playing like we’ve been playing the last 6-7 weeks, we’re going to get the band struck up on us. We’re going to get embarrassed. They’re going to dog walk us.”
“… Put your foot in the ground. Stand for something. We can’t even bust a grape in a fruit fight right now.”
In his second start with the Bengals, Flacco completed 31 of his 47 pass attempts for 342 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions. The Steelers were unable to slow superstar wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who finished the game with a career’-high 16 catches for 161 yards and a touchdown.
Running back Chase Brown had his best game of the year on the ground, rushing for 108 yards on just 11 carries against the Pittsburgh defense.
With Thursday night’s loss to the Bengals, Mike Tomlin and the Steelers are now 4-2 on the season. They still hold first place in the AFC North, but Cincinnati is starting to close the gap.
The Steelers’ next three games are against the Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Chargers. Each of these three teams rank top 10 in the NFL in terms of offensive yards per game.
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