A divisional matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals was always going to have a marquee feel to it. But after the comments from head coach Mike Tomlin, the intensity for their Thursday Night clash may have gone up a few levels. Criticizing the Cleveland Browns for parting ways with Joe Flacco to a struggling divisional opponent, it seemed like a clear tip of the cap from Tomlin towards Flacco.
The comments are sure to energize his men, but also add some doubt about what Flacco could look like with the wide receiver talent present in Cincinnati. Less than a week after getting acclimated to the system, Flacco had one of his best games of the year. With more time in the system, things could certainly get interesting as Cincy tries to bridge the gap with the first-placed Steelers in the AFC North.
Inactive List for Steelers and Bengals
Pittsburgh Steelers
- WR Calvin Austin III
- G Andrus Peat
- DL Logan Lee
- DE DeMarvin Leal
Cincinnati Bengals
- TE Tanner Hudson
- CB Cam Taylor-Britt
- WR Jermaine Burton
- DE Trey Hendrickson
- DT McKinnley Jackson
Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt was a surprising addition to the team’s inactives list for the game against the Steelers. He held no injury designation, but head coach Zac Taylor decided that Taylor-Britt would not feature tonight.
This is a coach’s decision, with Josh Newton starting in his place. https://t.co/3OeY2kajjb
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 16, 2025
Josh Newton will start in his place, and it remains to be seen how he will handle the likes of DK Metcalf and the other Steelers receivers.
Starters for Steelers vs. Bengals
Pittsburgh Steelers
Offense:
- QB Aaron Rodgers
- RB Jaylen Warren
- WR DK Metcalf
- WR Ben Skowronek
- WR Scotty Miller
- TE Darnell Washington
- FB Connor Heyward
- LT Broderick Jones
- LG Isaac Seumalo
- C Zach Frazier
- RG Mason McCormick
- RT Troy Fautanu
Defense:
- LDE Cameron Heyward
- NT Keeanu Benton
- RDE Derrick Harmon
- WLB T.J. Watt
- LILB Patrick Queen
- RILB Cole Holcomb
- SLB Alex Highsmith
- LCB Darius Slay
- SS Jabrill Peppers
- FS DeShon Elliott
- RCB Joey Porter Jr.
- NB Jalen Ramsey
Special teams:
- PK Chris Boswell
- P, H Corliss Waitman
- PR Ke’Shawn Williams
- KR Kenneth Gainwell
- LS Christian Kuntz
For a team that came in with a ton of questions about how the offense would function with an Aaron Rodgers on the other side of 40, that side of the football has more than held up its end of the bargain. It is the legendary Pittsburgh defense that has let them down so far.
Ranking 15th on PFSN’s Defense Impact, the unit hasn’t functioned even remotely like the most expensive defense in the NFL. Instead, the team has barely scraped by to a 4-1 record.
With a golden opportunity to have an edge in the division, it’ll be interesting to see if Tomlin can turn it around after the bye week.
Cincinnati Bengals
Offense:
- QB Joe Flacco
- RB Chase Brown
- WR Ja’Marr Chase
- WR Tee Higgins
- WR Andrei Iosivas
- TE Noah Fant
- LT Orlando Brown Jr.
- LG Dylan Fairchild
- C Ted Karras
- RG Dalton Risner
- RT Amarius Mims
Defense:
- LDE Joseph Ossai
- LDT T.J. Slaton Jr.
- RDT B.J. Hill
- RDE Myles Murphy
- WLB Demetrius Knight Jr.
- MLB Barrett Carter
- SLB Logan Wilson
- LCB DJ Turner II
- SS Jordan Battle
- FS Geno Stone
- RCB Josh Newton
- NB Dax Hill
Special teams:
- PK Evan McPherson
- P, H Ryan Rehkow
- PR, KR Charlie Jones
- LS William Wagner
The focus for the Bengals will be squarely on the offense. Under Jake Browning, the unit crumbled to one of the worst in the league, with two performances in the bottom three in back-to-back weeks.
With Flacco, their entire operation was much smoother, as they reached 18 points with relative ease against the Green Bay Packers. With the Steelers defense far weaker than the Packers so far this season, the former Super Bowl champion could thrive with weapons like Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins on the field with him.
