Last season, the Pittsburgh Steelers took their worst loss of the season against the Cincinnati Bengals. This Sunday the Steelers kick off the season with a chance at some payback or it might be the a repeat of last season with this new-look Steelers offense.
But it was the defense that really let the team down last season. Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin didn’t hold back when he talked about the 41-10 blowout loss.
“They just kicked our ass,” Austin said. “There’s really nothing about it. You can slice it up, dice it up, however you want. Just got our butts kicked, and that’s football.”
The Steelers allowed three rushing touchdowns in the loss which is uncharacteristic for a Steelers defense. Bengals running back Joe Mixon carved up the Steelers run defense for 165 yards on 28 carries. Pittsburgh has put in the work to improve the run defense this offseason with the addition of players like defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi and linebacker Myles Jack.