For the first two weeks of the season, the Cincinnati Bengals' rebuilt defense looked like it might have transformed overnight from a liability into one of the team's greatest strengths.
Then the Pittsburgh Steelers finally found a way to neutralize it.
Cincinnati's defense wasn't merely beaten in Sunday's 30-27 loss. Pittsburgh attacked some of the exact areas that had made the Bengals so dominant through their 2-0 start, piling up 405 yards while averaging 7.0 yards per play. The biggest surprise came on the ground.
Jaylen Warren entered Sunday with only 89 rushing yards through Pittsburgh's first two games. Against Cincinnati, he exploded for 121 yards on just 16 carries, an average of 7.6 yards per attempt.
That wasn't supposed to happen against this defensive front.
Bengals' dominant defensive front finally looked human against Steelers
Cincinnati entered Pittsburgh, allowing just 74.5 rushing yards per game, the third-lowest mark in the NFL. The Bengals also had eight sacks through two games, tied for the league lead.
Dexter Lawrence II had already established himself as the centerpiece of the transformation, but Cincinnati's success extended well beyond its All-Pro defensive tackle.
Jonathan Allen had recorded a sack in each of the first two games. Cedric Johnson had a two-sack performance against Houston. Shemar Stewart recorded a sack in his season debut. Suddenly, Cincinnati had waves of defensive linemen capable of causing problems.
Pittsburgh found an answer.
And perhaps more concerning for defensive coordinator Al Golden, the blueprint for doing it may have been hiding in plain sight.
Before Sunday's game, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette identified attacking the edges of Cincinnati's defense as one potential solution rather than repeatedly running directly at Lawrence and Allen.
The Steelers did exactly what Cincinnati's first two opponents couldn't. They found room to run.
Warren ripped off a 35-yard run and consistently found enough space to keep Pittsburgh out of the obvious passing situations where Cincinnati's pass rush had been so dangerous.
That changed everything for Aaron Rodgers.
Instead of spending his afternoon running from Lawrence, Allen and the Bengals' edge rushers, which is what should have happened. Rodgers threw for 292 yards and three touchdowns. Pittsburgh generated several explosive plays through the air, including gains of 47 yards to Darnell Washington and 38 yards to Roman Wilson.
Washington's performance was particularly notable. You remember Washington, right? He is a tough guy to stop since he is listed at 6 ft 7 in, 264 lbs., and was basically a wrecking ball going down the sideline or anywhere else he had the ball.
Cincinnati entered Sunday having already allowed 17 receptions for 200 yards to opposing tight ends through two games, both league-high totals. Washington added three receptions for 67 yards, demonstrating that the soft spot hadn't disappeared simply because the Bengals' defensive line had been dominating.
For the first time this season, Cincinnati's opponent dictated the terms. That's the part Golden will need to fix.
Steelers may have given Bengals opponents something to study
None of this means Cincinnati's defensive rebuild suddenly failed.
Two outstanding performances don't make a defense invincible, just as one rough afternoon doesn't erase what Lawrence and company accomplished against Tampa Bay and Houston. But Pittsburgh may have provided future opponents with something considerably more valuable than a Bengals loss on film. It provided a blueprint.
Avoid allowing Cincinnati's defensive front to dictate the game. Find ways to move the running game away from Lawrence. Keep the Bengals out of obvious pass-rushing situations. Then attack favorable matchups against linebackers and safeties with tight ends and other underneath weapons. That's considerably easier said than done. But Pittsburgh just proved it can be done.
The Bengals spent the first two weeks of the season proving their revamped defense was legitimate. On Sunday, the Steelers gave that defense something it hadn't experienced yet.
A counterpunch. Now we'll find out how Golden responds.
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