When they met the Cincinnati Bengals a month ago, the Pittsburgh Steelers had a 10-point lead in the second quarter and appeared poised to add to their 4-1 start to the season.

Then, Chase Brown broke off a 27-yard run on the first play of the ensuing drive, and the Bengals drove for their first points of the game.

The next time the Bengals had the ball, Brown ripped off 37 yards on the first play. It led to another touchdown.

After being held scoreless for 25 minutes, the Bengals put up 33 points in the final 35 and handed the Steelers a didn’t-see-that-coming 33-31 loss at Paycor Stadium.

Those two runs were viewed as turning points for the Steelers defense. Cracks in the run defense helped Brown rush for 108 yards on 11 carries, and the Bengals, the worst running team by far in the NFL, to gain 142.

Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin believes he has learned from the mistakes made that night and expects his players to make quicker adjustments at stopping the run in the rematch Sunday at Acrisure Stadium.

“Obviously, what I did the first time didn’t work,” Austin said. “I think we’ll be better prepared for it. Obviously, we won’t know till we get out there on Sunday. I don’t think it will take any of us by surprise because they’ve been running the ball more efficiently and more often in the past three or four weeks.”

The Bengals rushed for 181 yards the following week against the New York Jets but returned to a meager 46 against the Chicago Bears. That total, however, was offset by Joe Flacco passing for a career-high 470 yards.

Flacco put up 342 against the Steelers in Week 7, while celebrated wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins combined for 22 catches, 257 yards and two touchdowns.

The Steelers, though, think a different outcome could have been reached had they done a better job of stopping the run.

“When it was 10-0, we were getting off the field quick and then the run game kind of stabilized everything (for the Bengals),” defensive tackle Cameron Heyward said. “I know the wide receivers did an amazing job on their side of the ball, and the quarterback got it out quick, but if you can create more one-dimensional situations, you’ll have a lot more success.”

Success has been limited for the Steelers since that trip to Paycor Stadium. Their only win in their past four games came when they defeated the one-loss Indianapolis Colts, 27-20, a result that was achieved by forcing six turnovers and holding NFL rushing leader Jonathan Taylor to 45 yards.

It was a performance the defense couldn’t replicate last Sunday night in a 25-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, who rushed for 115 yards while dominating the time of possession.

“A whole lot needs to be better,” outside linebacker T.J. Watt said. “Stopping the run, first and foremost, (limiting) explosive plays, getting off the field, getting pressure.”

Flacco offset the Steelers’ pass rush by releasing the ball an average of 2.21 seconds after taking the snap. That was one of the quickest recorded times of the season for any quarterback, let alone an 18-year vet who turns 41 in two months.

“You combat it by stopping the run,” Heyward said. “Then, those quick throws aren’t as detrimental to your group. Getting your hands up, having good coverage, having good disguise and not just being a sitting duck. You have to mix it up. Stopping the run has to be huge for us.”

Brown has combined for 110 rushing yards — or just two more than he had against the Steelers – in the Bengals’ past two games. He made bigger contributions in the passing game against the Bears when he caught eight passes for 75 yards. The Bengals also like to use Brown out of the spread offense, which creates another set of challenges for the Steelers defense.

“It makes it tough on guys up front in terms of being able to control the line of scrimmage, get off blocks and make plays for our second-level players,” Austin said. “When you look at their big runs, sure they got through the first level, but we didn’t do a good enough job in terms of corralling it and getting him down with our post safety. Or he bounced outside to the corners instead of us keeping it inside. We have to do a better job in our team run defense. There are times when you get through the first level, but those breaks can’t be 27-yard, 37-yard runs.”

The Steelers won’t have outside linebacker Alex Highsmith available for the rematch because of a pectoral injury. He is one of the team’s more accomplished run defenders. The Steelers, though, will have strong safety Kyle Dugger on the field for the third game after his acquisition from New England.

“He’s been the glue, keeping it all together,” cornerback Joey Porter Jr. said. “He’s making his tackles, making the plays.”

With their revamped secondary, Nick Herbig replacing Highsmith and Malik Harrison taking over for an ailing Cole Holcomb, the Steelers will present a different look in the rematch against the Bengals. They could have five new starters on defense, plus Jalen Ramsey starting at a different position, than in the previous meeting in Cincinnati.

Will that be enough to slow down the Bengals?

“Time will tell,” Heyward said. “You look at the game last time. We just weren’t stout in our gaps. Sometimes, you have to be a little more patient. You have to get off the blocks. That’s the name of the game. With that, you get challenged. Learn from it and get better.”

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