The Pittsburgh Steelers have a long 10 days to think over this heartbreaking loss to the Cincinnati Bengals — as their performance on Thursday Night Football was nothing short of disappointing.
Sitting at 4-2 with the 3-4 Bengals 1.5 games behind them, the Steelers‘ favorable cushion in the AFC North race isn’t as safe as many fans hoped. While there were bright spots in the loss, several disappointing performances were responsible for the Week 7 upset on Thursday Night.
With that in mind, here’s a look at the biggest winners and losers from the Steelers’ Week 7 loss.
Winners
TE Pat Freiermuth
Freiermuth must’ve heard the buzz over the past few weeks — as he rebounded in a huge way against the Bengals. Leading the Steelers’ offense with 111 receiving yards and two touchdowns, there was no stopping the pass-catching tight end.
Steelers’ offensive line
Despite a few rare penalties and allowed pressures, Pittsburgh’s offensive line looked incredible on Thursday night. While keeping Rodgers’ jersey clean with zero sacks allowed for the second straight week was impressive enough, they also helped the running game find life with over 147 rushing yards produced on offense.
RB Jaylen Warren
There’s an argument to be made that Warren deserves as much praise as Freiermuth — leading the Steelers’ offense with 157 scrimmage yards while also picking up some huge first downs for the Black and Gold. Without Warren, the Week 7 33-31 loss might not have been as close.
Losers
Steelers cornerbacks
Remember when the new Steelers CB trio was expected to turn things around for the defense? Me too. From Joey Porter’s penalty struggles to Darius Slay and Jalen Ramsey giving up some huge plays — including the game-sealing catch to Tee Higgins — the biggest losers on defense were the corners, while the run defense might be an honorable mention on the list.
Coaching staff
Whether it’s Mike Tomlin or Teryl Austin to blame, it doesn’t matter — the defense was poorly schemed and coached, period. The inability to game plan for Ja’Marr Chase left Pittsburgh’s defense sputtering — allowing 16 receptions for 161 yards and a touchdown to the Bengals superstar. Tomlin and Austin need to answer for this atrocious defensive game plan, as there have never been two coaches who’ve done so little with so much talent.
Aaron Rodgers-DK Metcalf connection
The weakest link on the offensive side of the ball would, without a doubt, fall on the shoulders of Rodgers’ chemistry with Metcalf. Earlier in the loss, Rodgers threw an ugly interception on a deep ball intended for Metcalf — overthrowing his athletic wideout on a pick that floated into the arms of Bengals S Jordan Battle. Metcalf responded with even worse play on the following Steelers’ drive, having what should’ve been an easy pass ripped out of his arms for another interception. The QB-WR duo finished the night with only three catches for 50 yards and two interceptions when Metcalf was the nearest target.
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This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Steelers’ winners, losers from Week 7 loss to Bengals
