Coming off four straight defeats, the Cincinnati Bengals pulled a 33-31 upset win over the Pittsburgh Steelers and ripped the cushion of momentum from right under their feet. Pittsburgh’s offense had its share of blunders, sure, but this loss falls squarely on the defense. Giving up 33 points to a team led by a quarterback who’s been there for barely a week, Steelers legend James Harrison has now issued a stern warning to head coach Mike Tomlin’s defense of more “embarrassment.”

In the latest episode of the Deebo & Joe podcast, former Steelers linebacker James Harrison expressed his concerns about Mike Tomlin’s defense.

“We need to fix and get this thing moving in the right direction,” Harrison said. “We’re not gonna go nowhere. These offenses that we’re gonna face in the next 4-5 weeks, they ain’t turning the rock over like that. They’re doing things more effectively than anyone we’ve played yet. If we come out there the way we’ve been playing, we’re gonna get embarrassed. They’re gonna dogwalk us.”

These words are rather harsh, but also hard to argue with. The Steelers‘ defense against Cincinnati looked flat-out lifeless. And that’s bad news with what’s coming. Their next three matchups won’t allow Tomlin’s defense to be complacent like they’ve looked multiple times this season.

The Packers are hanging around the top ten in scoring at 26.2 points per game. The Colts? They’re leading the league with 32.3 points per game. Even the Chargers, who average only 21.2, are still moving the ball for 256.2 passing yards a game. It’s going to be a rough few weeks for Pittsburgh.

So, yeah, Harrison’s concern feels justified. On paper, the Steelers’ 4–2 record looks fine. But look closer, and it’s padded by wins over teams in shambles. They’ve beaten a winless Jets squad, a Browns offense in meltdown, and a Vikings team held together by duct tape.

Against Cincinnati, they were supposed to thrive. The Bengals came in missing Joe Burrow and turning to Joe Flacco, someone who’s just unpacked his bags. Yet, somehow, Pittsburgh’s defense made him look like XLVII’s Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco all over again.

Steelers’ defensive woes against Cincinnati

The defensive numbers show a concerning truth. The Steelers gave up 470 total yards to a team that ranked dead last in rushing. Cincinnati averaged 6.7 yards per pass and 6.2 yards per rush. Flacco, who had thrown just three touchdowns and four picks in his previous four games, ended up slicing the Steelers’ defense.

The secondary looked completely lost, too. Ja’Marr Chase troubled them all night long with a franchise-record 16 catches for 161 yards and a touchdown. Tee Higgins added six grabs for 96 yards and another score. The tackling was abysmal; they ended up missing 14 tackles.

And the run defense, usually a Steelers trademark, just didn’t show up. By halftime, the Bengals already had 97 rushing yards and were gashing Pittsburgh for over 10 yards a carry. Defensive tackle Cam Heyward believes that this was the Steelers’ biggest problem on defense.

“It’s not the secondary; that’s a cop-out,” Heyward said. “I think the front line, we got to control the line of scrimmage a lot better. I’m pissed off. We didn’t take care of our job … they were last in rushing, and the way we gave it up today that takes the cake. “We got to stop the f—ing run. That’s as simple as that.”

Heyward is not wrong, though. Before Sunday, the Steelers had kept the Browns and Vikings both under 100 rushing yards, holding them to 3.5 and 3.8 yards per carry. Against Cincinnati, they completely unraveled. And if they couldn’t handle the Bengals’ patchwork offense, what happens when Mike Tomlin’s men line up against the Colts’ top-ranked offense or Jordan Love’s darts next week?