"When it was time for us to pass the ball," Ja'Marr Chase said, "we weren't getting our best look."
Flacco could have used any excuse for his worst passing day as a Bengal (23 of 40 for 199 yards and a 68.6 passer rating), but the man is too classy and wise at age 40 and 18 years into this thing.
On the second drive of the game, Watt body slammed Flacco into the turf as he threw the ball away. Right smack on his injured AC joint that has limited him to one practice a week. But he gave props to Watt and said he felt fine. He could have used the wind, too. He said he had never seen the wind here like it was Sunday. But he said he didn't think it was "a huge factor."
After his 15th game here, he knew what was.
"Even though this looks really bad, it's one of those typical games that you come play in here. All of a sudden, it breaks loose and goes the other way." Flacco said. "But you felt it today. It was a hard, physical game. You knew they were going to make it tough for us, and we just didn't come through in those couple little moments.
"We weren't able to wait, wait, wait, wait, and strike. We made mistakes, and they capitalized."
Those little moments were turnovers. The Bengals defense hasn't had one in three weeks.
"That's kind where the game took off," said Bengals captain and defensive tackle B.J. Hill. "They created two turnovers and we didn't. We have to do better on our side and give the ball to our offense."
And yet this was a 7-6 game late in the first half. Very much a defensive game as the Bengals befuddled Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers before driving him out with a left wrist injury.
The Bengals believe this can be a turning point for a defense that came in here and gave Pittsburgh just 13 points after the opening drive in the wake of allowing 86 in the two games before. The offense that has been scoring 32 points per game under Flacco had more than a shot to get the lead.
"It was there at halftime," Ja'Marr Chase said.
The defense didn't let the Steelers take control with the run, and gave them that shot. After popping a 35-yarder in that first drive, running back Jaylen Warren had 27 yards on his nine other carries. Pittsburgh had just four yards per carry, which is exactly what you have to do to beat them.
But the Bengals missed too many tackles on those third-and-sixes to spoil their effort.
"I felt like we stopped the run better. It wasn't like it was for the last two weeks for sure," Stone said. "We took a positive step."
When Rudolph came off the bench, it was a different look.
"We adjusted after the first drive. We knew when Mason came in, it was going to be different type of style. Limited. They weren't going to put a lot on his plate. We only had limited action, but we can't allow them to score … we have to be better tackling … It's the one-on-ones."
Flacco knew the defense gave them a shot.
"I thought they did a lot of good things today," Flacco said. "It's just a shame the way that when we're kind of not matching each other right now and playing both sides as well as we can at the same time."
The Steelers had snatched one as quick as the wind. Ja'Marr Chase, the NFL's leading receiver, lingered on the field after it was over at the end of a day the defense looked ready to complement the offense.
"I was soaking in the moment," said Chase, his eye on the last seven games. "I don't like to lose, so I was soaking in the moment how we lost."