The Pittsburgh Steelers were one of the most aggressive teams during the offseason. They went out and acquired Aaron Rodgers, DK Metcalf, and Jonnu Smith to bolster their offense. On the defensive side, their biggest move was arguably trading for a disgruntled Jalen Ramsey from the Miami Dolphins.

However, only a few of those acquisitions seemed to pay off during their matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday Night Football in Week 7.

### Offense Shows Promise as Rodgers Nearly Engineers Comeback

Aaron Rodgers nearly pulled off a late fourth-quarter comeback. The Steelers took a 31-30 lead with 2:21 remaining after Rodgers connected with Pat Freiermuth on a 68-yard touchdown pass. Rodgers finished the night completing 23 of 34 passes for 249 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions.

Jonnu Smith caught one of those touchdowns, finishing with three receptions for 28 yards. DK Metcalf was the second-leading receiver with three catches for 50 yards, showing flashes of the big-play potential that convinced Pittsburgh to make a move for him this past offseason.

### Defensive Struggles Highlight Ramsey’s Tough Night

On the other side of the ball, Jalen Ramsey had a rough night—one that could be considered his worst performance as a Steeler.

“Jalen Ramsey’s been cooked all night,” noted SI’s Albert Breer during the game, just after Joe Flacco connected with Tee Higgins on a 28-yard reception that put the ball at Pittsburgh’s 35-yard line. A few plays later, the Bengals took the lead for good with a 36-yard field goal, sealing a 33-31 victory.

### Ramsey Couldn’t Halt Bengals’ Passing Attack

Joe Flacco, 40, who had only been with the Bengals for 10 days following a trade from the Cleveland Browns, looked comfortable picking apart the Steelers’ secondary, seemingly targeting Ramsey often. Flacco completed 31 of 47 passes for 342 yards, three touchdowns, and no turnovers.

The true difference-makers were Flacco’s star receivers, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, who combined for 22 catches on 33 targets for 257 yards and two touchdowns. Flacco’s approach was straightforward: throw to the playmakers and let them create.

Ramsey struggled to contain both receivers, especially during scoring drives. In the second quarter, Ramsey was called for pass interference on Chase, though the Bengals receiver scored regardless. Later, on Cincinnati’s final drive before halftime, Ramsey was beaten again by Chase, conceding two catches for 21 yards that helped set up a field goal.

According to Pro Football Focus, Ramsey finished with a 54.7 defensive grade and a 47.4 coverage grade—his lowest marks of the season. He allowed four receptions on five targets for 35 yards, including 22 yards after the catch. While these numbers may be updated in the coming hours, the game tape offered little support for Ramsey’s performance.

### Ramsey’s Previous Career-Highlight Performance

Prior to this game, Ramsey had been dealing with a hamstring injury but still delivered one of the best performances of his career in Week 6 against the Browns. In that game, he recorded two sacks for the first time in his NFL career during the Steelers’ 23-9 win over Cleveland.

His outstanding play earned high praise from head coach Mike Tomlin, who said, “We certainly wanted to make sure he could impact the game. I cannot say enough about Jalen Ramsey, guys. This guy plays outside corner, he plays nickel, he plays free safety. He is exactly what we hoped he would be, and certainly, he was significant today.”

### What Lies Ahead for Ramsey and the Steelers?

After Thursday night’s performance, it’s uncertain if Tomlin will maintain such enthusiastic endorsements. Ramsey’s ongoing hamstring issues may have been a factor, but at 30 years old, questions about whether the three-time All-Pro cornerback is beginning to decline are now surfacing.

As the season progresses, the Steelers will need both their offense and defense to step up if they hope to turn their offseason investments into wins.
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