"He has failed this team": Ryan Clark blames Mike Tomlin for Steelers' collapse vs. Bengals on TNF

Ryan Clark didn’t hold back after the Pittsburgh Steelers’ primetime stumble, directing criticism at coach Mike Tomlin following Thursday night’s 33-31 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. The former Steelers safety said Tomlin failed to have his team prepared.

Clark, now an ESPN analyst on "First Take," reflected on the loss during the show’s Sunday broadcast.

"This loss is on Mike Tomlin," Clarke said. (Time code: 10:45)

"Mike Tomlin to me is one of the greatest coaches of this era. He has failed this team, especially on Thursday night. When you're a great coach, you're supposed to get your team prepared to win the most important games."

Pittsburgh’s issues came to light against Joe Flacco, who joined Cincinnati only a week earlier. The Steelers’ defense surrendered several big plays after leading 24-14, allowing Flacco to pick apart their coverage and expose the secondary’s miscommunication. The defeat extended Pittsburgh’s Thursday night road skid in the division to seven games.

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Ryan Clark targets defensive breakdowns and a lack of focus under Mike Tomlin

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Ryan Clark’s comments centered on Pittsburgh’s defensive collapse, particularly the repeated coverage shifts that made it easy for Flacco to diagnose one-on-one matchups.

"You often highlight not having a playoff win since 2016. If you're 0-6 on Thursday night on the road in the AFC North, your team needs to understand that. And so when we're up 10 points, we need to lock in on our focus. When we're up 10 points, we need to hold our shell on defense so Joe Flacco can't see us spin down into one high and understand where he has the one-on-one because we saw that continuously through the night," Clark said.

The Bengals’ quarterback completed 16 passes to Ja’Marr Chase for 161 yards and a touchdown. This is a single-game franchise record. He connected with Tee Higgins late to set up the decisive field goal.

Edge rusher T.J. Watt called the effort “unacceptable” in postgame remarks, while defensive back Jalen Ramsey said the team must “execute” to close out games. The Steelers failed to record a takeaway and rarely pressured Flacco despite his lack of mobility. Cincinnati also ran for 142 yards, an improvement for a unit that entered the game among the league’s least productive rushing offenses.

Tomlin, asked afterward about his team’s repeated Thursday struggles, said the defeat “won’t define us” but conceded that such results can’t continue.