Some concerning trends re-emerged for the Pittsburgh Steelers during their disappointing 33-31 road loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday Night Football.
One was the Steelers’ continued struggles in short weeks under Mike Tomlin, who is now 2-10 in TNF road games and 0-7 in TNF road games against AFC North opponents.
Another was Pittsburgh’s penchant for getting off to slow starts, especially on offense.
While the Steelers scored a touchdown on their opening drive, they did not score on their other two possessions of the first quarter, ending the opening frame with seven points. It was Pittsburgh’s 56th straight regular-season game under Tomlin with seven or fewer points in the first quarter, tying the record for the longest streak by a head coach in NFL history.
Granted, Tomlin hasn’t had the best quarterbacks or offenses to work with the last few years, but it’s still a troubling trend. The Steelers haven’t scored more than seven points in the first quarter since Week 1 of the 2022 season, when they had 10 first-quarter points in their 23-20 overtime victory against the Bengals (Mitch Trubisky was under center).
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Pittsburgh’s inability to land an early knockout punch came back to haunt them on Thursday night, allowing Joe Flacco to mount a wild comeback after he settled in. The Steelers failed to take advantage of Cincinnati’s reeling defense and put the game out of reach early on, letting the game turn into a shootout and eventually slip away.
Pittsburgh will try to snap its first-quarter streak against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football in Week 8. That won’t be easy, however, as the Packers’ defense has been one of the best in the NFL, ranking top 10 in both fewest points and yards allowed per game.
More Steelers: Steelers’ Puzzling TNF Woes Continue With Stunning Loss To Bengals
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Featured image via Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images