Mike Tomlin said Tuesday at his weekly news conference the Steelers’ troubles on defense against Cincinnati were all basically tied to their inability to stop the run.
He said the Bengals had some success running the ball, that made it easier for them to make some plays in the passing game and that was a big part of the story of the 33-31 loss on “Thursday Night Football.”
That is one way to spin it. Here is another:
The Steelers stunk against the run and stunk against the pass. And if you look at where they rank against the pass in the NFL, it isn’t a surprise Joe Flacco and Co. lit them up like a Christmas tree.
Dallas allows 260.3 yards per game through the air, and that makes it the worst pass defense in the NFL. The Steelers are right behind them — the second-worst pass defense in