When the Pittsburgh Steelers fell to the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday Night Football in Week 7, defensive coordinator Teryl Austin was instantly under fire. In their first meeting, the defense allowed superstar wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase to earn 23 targets, turning his opportunities into 16 receptions for 161 yards and a touchdown.
It's clear that Austin is finally learning from his mistakes.
In the Steelers' first meeting against the Bengals, Austin tried multiple defensive looks. But what he failed to do was take away the quick slant, as the defense allowed quarterback Joe Flacco to hit his first read all game. Not this time.
After the Bengals whipped up a monstrous offensive performance against Pittsburgh on Thursday Night Football in Week 7, Chase went from having one of the best games of his career to being a complete non-factor. In the first half of Week 11, Chase recorded just one reception on five targets for a mere nine yards.
By late in the game, before a 16-yard reception in garbage time, the All-Prol receiver had 14 yards on nine targets. Chase ultimately finished the game with a mere 30 receiving yards on 10 targets (3.0 yards per target).
Pittsburgh Steelers' DC Teryl Austin looked like a defensive mastermind against Ja'Marr Chase and the Bengals in Week 11
In the first matchup against the Bengals, Steelers fans were calling for the instant departure of Teryl Austin after Cincinnati put up 470 total yards of offense in the 33-31 loss in Week 7. This was accompanied by 27 first downs, 72 offensive plays, and 34:32 time of possession for the Bengals.
Now, it appears Austin finally found the secret sauce to success.
In Week 11, not only did Austin's defense hold the Bengals' offense to 12 points, but they were much-improved in every area. In addition to Chase earning a mere 30 yards, the defense held Joe Flacco in check to 199 passing yards on 40 attempts with one touchdown and one interception—good for just a 68.6 passer rating.
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As a team, the Bengals put up just 297 yards of offense on 4.7 yards per play in Week 11, per ESPN stats, as the Steelers cruised to a 34-12 victory over their AFC North opponent.
The secret? Get up on the line of scrimmage and take away Flacco's first read. Though we need to examine the all-22 tape, Pittsburgh made it a point to jam Chase at the line of scrimmage and play inside leverage. This forced Flacco to go to his second read often.
The lack of separation in this contest clearly had Chase disgruntled, to the point where he was all but throwing fists with Jalen Ramsey late in the game. These defensive adjustments were on point.
This is how you'd expect the Pittsburgh Steelers to play against a formerly 3-6 football team if they are to be taken seriously as a potential threat in the AFC this year. Teryl Austin has been arguably the most scrutinized coach on the team since the 2024 season, and we all owe him an apology after this convincing defensive game plan versus the Cincinnati Bengals.