ClutchPoints
The Pittsburgh Steelers succumbed to the Cincinnati Bengals, 33-31, on Thursday Night Football in Week 7, with cornerback Joey Porter Jr. openly criticizing the officiating after the defeat. Porter Jr., in his third NFL season, expressed frustration over the penalties called against Pittsburgh, suggesting the defense could have contained Cincinnati’s offense if the officials had allowed them to play.
“We’ve got the guys to do it, they just gotta let us play,” Porter Jr. said (h/t ESPN’s Brooke Pryor). “I wasn’t a big fan of the calls today with the officiating, but it is what it is. It’s football.”
He spotlighted two defensive pass interference calls against him, first on Ja’Marr Chase in the opening quarter and later on Tee Higgins at the end of the first half, that directly contributed to a Bengals field goal, widening their lead to 17-10. Overall, the Steelers were flagged seven times for 59 yards, compared to four penalties for 35 yards for Cincinnati.
Pittsburgh’s defense flopped against the Bengals. Newly acquired quarterback Joe Flacco completed 31 of 47 passes for 342 yards and three touchdowns in only his second start for Cincinnati. Chase amassed 161 yards on 16 receptions, while Higgins added 96 yards and a touchdown. Running back Chase Brown also exploded for 108 yards on 11 carries, surpassing his previous season high of 47 yards.
On offense, Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw for 244 yards and four touchdowns, connecting with Pat Freiermuth for 106 yards. Jaylen Warren contributed 127 rushing yards on 16 attempts. Rodgers engineered several scoring drives, including a 68-yard touchdown pass to Freiermuth with 2:21 remaining to give Pittsburgh a brief 31-30 lead. However, Evan McPherson’s 36-yard field goal with seven seconds left ensured the Bengals’ victory.
The game featured multiple lead changes and big plays, including a 39-yard deep pass to DK Metcalf on third-and-11, a 37-yard run by Warren, and completions to Freiermuth and Darnell Washington. However, Pittsburgh’s defense, which had shown improvement in prior weeks, allowed 470 total yards and 33 points. The Steelers rank 27th in passing yards allowed per game (245) and 23rd in yards per play (5.1), while the run game, led by Warren and Kenneth Gainwell, had been mostly anemic before this matchup.
The loss dropped Pittsburgh’s record to 4-2, but the team remains in first place in the AFC North.
The post Steelers’ Joey Porter Jr. puts refs on blast after wild TNF loss to Bengals appeared first on ClutchPoints.
