Steelers Star Stands Up for Defensive Line After Embarrassing Bengals Defeat
The Pittsburgh Steelers are looking to bounce back from their horrific loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday Night Football in Week 7. The team will be hosting the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football in Week 8, which is not going to be an easy matchup. Pittsburgh lost to Cincinnati by a score of 33-31, as the offense had a great night aside from a pair of turnovers, while the defense could not find a way to slow down the Bengals throughout the contest.
The defense has taken a ton of heat for the way the group performed in the loss to Cincinnati. It was a complete embarrassment as the group got torn apart both on the ground and through the air. It was a concerning showing from one of the highest-paid defenses in the NFL, and the players and coaching staff have been under fire ever since the clock hit zero.
Nose tackle Keeanu Benton went on The Christian Kuntz Podcast on Thursday, and he discussed the game for the defense while defending the defensive line.
"I ain't going to say it was more of a defensive back game, but, you know, when [Joe Flacco] getting that ball out fast, there's only so much the rush can do," Benton explained. "But, once the defensive back get him off his first read you know, we can get after him. He's not really mobile enough to get out of the pocket."
Benton seemingly tries to absolve the defensive front and the pass rush from much blame, and he does have a point. Joe Flacco was able to deliver the ball to his first read on the majority of his drop backs, which completely nullifies the opposing pass rush. However, it would have been nice to see the defensive line find a way to make some plays throughout the game.
The secondary did not make life easy on Benton and the rest of the pass rush. For much of the contest, by the time the group could get any sort of pressure, Flacco had already thrown the ball. However, the defensive front also struggled against the run, which is another concerning factor. Pittsburgh's run defense struggled at the end of the 2024 season and again to start the 2025 season, and just when fans thought the problem might have been fixed, the group took another step backwards.
The run defense in the loss to Cincinnati is especially concerning because the Bengals had been one of the worst offenses in the NFL when it came to running the ball. Starting running back Chase Brown had not eclipsed 50 yards in a game during the 2025 season, but against Pittsburgh, he was able to do that in the first half before finishing with over 100 yards in the game.
Steelers Need More From Their Secondary Throughout The Remainder Of The 2025 Season
The Steelers have thrown a lot of resources into their defense, and the group has stars at every single level. The defense needs to find a way to play complementary football, because when it does, it will be at its best. If the secondary can force opposing quarterbacks to hold onto the football for a fraction of a second longer, it gives guys like TJ Watt, Benton, and/or Alex Highsmith time to make a play. Watt even made that point following the loss while speaking to the media when he was asked about the coverage from the Steelers during the game.
The coaching staff needs to be sure it is putting its players in situations to succeed, especially in the secondary. The group got picked on way too much in the loss, and that can't happen moving forward.
Steelers Give Bad Update on Edge Rusher T.J. Watt Ahead of Packers Matchup
The Pittsburgh Steelers surprisingly included center Zach Frazier on their injury report to begin this week. But more bad news arrived for the Steelers with T.J. Watt on Thursday.
The team added the All-Pro edge rusher to the injury report. Watt was limited in practice Thursday.
Watt didn’t practice at all Wednesday, but the Steelers had the edge rusher listed as out because of a veteran rest day. According to the team’s Thursday injury report, Watt is dealing with a hip issue.
There isn’t a lot of other information on Watt’s injury.
“It’s not clear when the injury occurred or how it might impact his status for Sunday’s Week 8 home game against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football,” wrote Steelers Now’s Alan Saunders. “Head coach Mike Tomlin did not mention him in his rundown of Steelers injuries on Tuesday.
“Watt usually speaks with the media on Fridays before Sunday games.”
There should be more details on Watt’s injury Friday. Not only will he likely speak to the media, the Steelers will update his game status for Week 8.
The Steelers will host the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football.
Steelers’ T.J. Watt Dealing With Hip Injury
The Steelers haven’t been able to find a lot of consistency on defense this season. The unit appeared to be getting better before Week 7. But then last Thursday, the Steelers gave up 33 points and 470 yards to the Cincinnati Bengals.
The last thing the Steelers need is one of their defensive captains and All-Pro edge rushers to be less than 100%.
Watt’s hip, though, could explain why he isn’t off to a better start this season. The four-time first-team All-Pro has 25 combined tackles, including five tackles for loss, 10 quarterback hits, four pass defenses. Watt also has an interception and forced fumble.
Those are good numbers. However, he only had four sacks in six games.
Again, to be clear, it’s not for certain that Watt has been dealing with his hip problem since the beginning of the season. Before Thursday, the edge rusher had not been on the injury report other than for rest days.
Watt led the NFL with 19 sacks two years ago. Last season, he had 11.5 sacks and led the league with six forced fumbles.
Steelers Have Edge Rushing Depth to Overcome Loss of Watt
In years past, losing Watt has been devastating for the Steelers. Not that the franchise would be alright losing the All-Pro, but the team is probably better equipped now than ever to replace him.
In addition to Watt, the Steelers have Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig in their edge rushing room. Highsmith and Herbig have six combined sacks.
Herbig leads the team with 4.5 sacks.
The Steelers received criticism for not playing Herbig a lot against the Bengals. He could see more playing time in Week 8 even if Watt is active.
Herbig also leads the Steelers with six tackles for loss and 13 quarterback hits. He has two pass defenses, a forced fumble and interception as well.
