In one rare feat, the Pittsburgh Steelers opened up the 2021 season with an 0-2 record at home following their crucial 24-10 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3.
Much of the issues that marred the Steelers in their loss to the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 2 were once again apparent in their divisional matchup with the Bengals. From the lack of efficiency on third down to the zero sacks recorded, the Steelers had one difficult time in simply taking advantage of key situations over the course of the game.
As expected, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is much displeased with his team’s production on both sides of the ball. In speaking after the loss to Cincinnati, Tomlin touched on just where it went wrong for Pittsburgh today.
“Let's not sugar coat it,” Tomlin said. “We played poorly today. We didn't deserve to win and that's not taking anything away from the Bengals. I'm talking about our group and the things that we aspire and how we expect to play. We didn't play smart enough today.
“We didn't execute enough today, making routine plays, routinely. We dropped the ball… There is enough to go around, and we take responsibility for that. That's when you do when you play losing football, and that's what we did today.”
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger did not find much success in taking advantage of blown coverages by the Bengals pass defense, as he instead wound up throwing two interceptions.
Still, Tomlin refused to pinpoint the entirety of the blame on the two-time Super Bowl winner for this defeat, but rather accepted responsibility for the team's performance.
“None of us played well enough, him included,” Tomlin said. “None of us coached well enough, me included.”
The Steelers will now prepare for a massive early season road matchup against the Green Bay Packers in Week 4. A possible 1-3 start could prove to be a major blow to Pittsburgh’s chances of repeating as AFC North champions.
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