Where do the Pittsburgh Steelers need to improve to avoid getting swept by the Cincinnati Bengals? Everywhere. So says T.J. Watt, who knows the defense has lots of work to do to show the first meeting was a fluke.
“Whole lot needs to be better,” Watt told reporters Friday via 93.7 The Fan. “Stopping the run first and foremost. Explosive plays. Getting off the field. Getting pressure. Even if the ball’s coming out quick, we gotta get our hands up. Do whatever we can to be disruptive.”
Pittsburgh failed on all accounts in its Week 7 33-31 loss to Cincinnati. Continuing their curse of Thursday night road divisional losses, the Steelers allowed 470 total yards of offense. The Bengals’ run game came alive with RB Chase Brown busting out for 108 yards on just 11 carries. In the air, QB Joe Flacco threw for 342 yards and three touchdowns despite being with Cincinnati for one week following his trade from Cleveland. Receiver Ja’Marr Chase accounted for much of that damage with a franchise-record 16 receptions. He added 161 yards and a score.
The Steelers turned a 10-0 lead into a 17-13 halftime deficit. Clawing back from a 27-17 hole, the Steelers scored to take the lead in the final two minutes. But Flacco led the Bengals on a drive that produced the game-winning kick, the defense failing one final time in the loss.
As Watt said, the Steelers’ defense must stop the run. In coverage, there must be a better plan to handle Chase. One that will include less of Jalen Ramsey, who has since moved to safety. Pittsburgh’s defense must also produce more takeaways. That unit hasn’t done so in four of the last five games, the team’s first such stretch since the start of 2013.
Holding the Bengals’ offense in check isn’t all about punts. Bending but not breaking in the red zone could be as key as anything.
Being swept by a Joe Burrow-less and Trey Hendrickson-less Bengals team would feel like a new low. It would put the team at .500 for the season and truly open the door wide for the Baltimore Ravens. But a win would make Pittsburgh 6-4 with a winnable, though far from easy, schedule ahead. Beating the Ravens in Week 14 could put the Steelers in the driver’s seat of the division. The defense, as it usually does, will need to lead them there.
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