Bengals starter may have priced himself out of Cincinnati on Thanksgiving
The most welcome trend to arise from the Cincinnati Bengals' 32-14 victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Thanksgiving was how well the defense played for the second time in five days.
A quick turnaround on the heels of a demoralizing loss could've been enough to sink Cincinnati. After the Ravens answered a field goal on Joe Burrow's first drive back with a touchdown march, it looked like the rout could be on at M&T Bank Stadium.
While Burrow deserves a ton of credit for coming back way sooner than anticipated, orchestrating two second-half TD drives, and reinstating a winning standard for Cincinnati, the defense needs its flowers, too.
In fact, one player I've been critical of ad nauseam has started to ball out, and I couldn't be happier to be proven wrong.
'Waiting for Godot' Joseph Ossai has finally arrived for Bengals defense
I thought I was on point after the Bengals' loss to the Steelers a few games ago when it felt like the notion of a resurgent Cincinnati defensive front was an illusion. Aaron Rodgers' time to throw was super long, and any pass rush generated was a result of sticky coverage on the back end.
Then the last two games happened. And Thanksgiving in particular happened. And Joseph Ossai, who the Bengals paid $6.5 million to stick around this year, had the breakout performance Who Dey Nation has longed for since he was a third-round pick back in 2021.
This sack on Lamar Jackson was no fluke. It was Ossai being a human heat-seeking missile who actually finished a pass rush, knocked the ball out, and gifted Burrow's offense a short field.
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) November 28, 2025
Ossai stormed the backfield later as a free rusher on an exotic blitz dialed up by defensive coordinator Al Golden. Lamar Jackson caved in the face of the pressure, and crumbled to the turf as Ossai pummeled him for another sack.
Even though the Bengals are engaged in a perpetual contract spat with Trey Hendrickson, I'm convinced they'll either franchise tag him and ride it out, or just let him walk. They refuse to pay him, and Hendrickson has been injured lately anyway.
When it comes to Joseph Ossai, if he maintains his current form, he'll command a decent-sized payday elsewhere. Now that 2023 first-rounder Myles Murphy is starting to come on in his own right, and Cincinnati also invested a Day 1 selection in rookie Shemar Stewart at defensive end, Ossai could be the odd man out. He's now at five sacks on the season, tying his career high. The arrow is indubitably pointing up.
Based on Ossai's longer tenure, inferior draft status, and how desperately de facto GM Duke Tobin needs a reversal in perception of his latest rookie classes, I feel like Ossai will price himself out of Cincinnati by season's end.
All I could remember Ossai for was his 15-yard penalty on Patrick Mahomes in the AFC Championship Game that sent the Chiefs to the Super Bowl. That was the last time the Bengals graced the postseason.
Could we be seeing Ossai rewrite his legacy in real time? You just wonder where this was all season, but the same can be said for the entire Bengals defense that looks like they know how to play football again.
Steelers Need to Cut Tomlin’s Control to Revive Their Struggling Offense
The Pittsburgh Steelers have lost four of their last six games, which also means they no longer have total control of a weak AFC North. They are now tied with the Baltimore Ravens for first place in the division, with the Purple and Black having the edge via tiebreaker for now. Many fans have been getting very angry about the idea that the 2025 season will likely end the same way it has for the previous eight: a record above .500, but no playoff wins to make it worth anything.
At this point, fans want accountability, and that showed throughout Gerry Dulac's weekly Q&A chat, with upset fans demanding anything but the routine season. One fan even asked if ownership would take some of the controls away from Head Coach Mike Tomlin if the season ends the same way. He responded with a hopeful answer for the fans.
"Something will definitely have to give," Dulac said. "How long can they tolerate watching the same ol' thing?"
Of course, the coordinators call the plays, but Tomlin dictates the scheme and gameplan for both sides of the ball. After the Steelers' Week 12 loss, everyone from fans, analysts, and even players took shots at the schematics of the team. It is very evident that something is concerning behind the scenes.
Owner Art Rooney II has voiced his frustrations a number of times, and he has even been accused of enabling Tomlin's rough decisions. As they say, "actions speak louder than words," and the actions of ownership will show how he really feels. If the team president truly is frustrated, then Dulac is right: something will have to give. This seemingly endless cycle of mediocrity has to have an end at some point.
As reports have stated numerous times, Rooney will not fire Tomlin. At this point, that is entirely out of the question. However, it has become very clear that many of the problems on the team point directly to the head coach, and he has not been able to fix those problems on a consistent basis. That means ownership will have to step in and do something to try and steer this ship in the right direction for 2026 and beyond.
Steelers Seemingly Need Tomlin To Be Less Involved Like He Used To Be
One of those options, as the fan in Dulac's chat mentioned, is taking away Tomlin's control of the "scheme and philosophy." The best option might be to let the coordinators run what they want to do without the head coach meddling and restricting them. Many argue that X's and O's have never been Tomlin's strong suit.
With Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin's contract expiring at the end of the 2025 campaign, odds are he will be let go after the season. What Tomlin truly needs is a strong mind that brings in an adaptable scheme to work with what the players want. That will help this expensive defense play up to its potential.
On the other side, Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith is recognized as one of the brightest offensive minds in the NFL, and Tomlin is a defensive coach. That's why limiting him does not make much sense. If Smith wants to push the ball downfield and use the middle of the field as well, Tomlin should not step in and tell him no. Let the offensive coach run the offense. It's been said that avoiding the middle of the field limits turnovers, but how much is avoiding the middle of the field limiting the offense as a whole?
