Steelers Now
It’s hard to win football games in which you allow 328 yards through the air and another 142 on the ground — unless your defense is taking the ball away. The Pittsburgh Steelers were reminded of that during their 33-31 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday night.
“When we’re not getting it, we better secure it,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said afterwards. “I think it’s the totality of it. We work as a collective. So, if we’re not getting it, we certainly better protect it. We didn’t do a good enough job of getting to it, we didn’t do a good enough job of protecting it. When you’re minus-two (in the turnover margin) on the road, you don’t win a lot of those games.”
Despite not creating a turnover against crafty veteran Joe Flacco and the Bengals, the Steelers are tied for the fifth-best differential (+5) in the league. Tomlin’s team has picked off five passes and hopped on another five loose balls.
On the flip side, two of Aaron Rodgers’ five interception on the season came against the Bengals — one of which was ripped out of DK Metcalf’s hands during a bang-bang play on the sideline.
Five different Steelers players have notched picks, including offseason secondary additions Jalen Ramsey and Brandin Echols. Breakout outside linebacker Nick Herbig also has an interception and a forced fumble.
The Steelers’ next two opponents, the Green Bay Packers and the Indianapolis Colts, are 0 and +7 in turnover differential, respectively. The latter, which comes to town on Nov. 2, currently owns the best record in the AFC.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Loss to Bengals a Stark Reminder That Turnovers Are Key
