Football Footnotes: Blame the Steelers’ defense — but don’t entirely absolve the offense — for loss to Bengals October 17, 2025 by Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Clearly, the Steelers’ defense was the biggest culprit in the club’s 33-31 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals Thursday night. It allowed 470 yards, including a ghastly 142 on the ground against the NFL’s worst rushing attack.