Steelers' Mike Tomlin Compares Tee Higgins to Shaq, Defends Penalties vs. Bengals

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin made an interesting comparison when describing Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins.

Tomlin compared Higgins to NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal after the Steelers played aggressively against him on Sunday.

"When you're playing Shaq, we're going to use our fouls," he said, per SteelersDepot's Alex Kozora.

The comparison to O'Neal is quite the compliment as the Hall of Famer was arguably the most dominant basketball player of all time. Higgins hasn't had quite the same career as O'Neal, but being in the same sentence as him is a good sign.

The Steelers clearly came into Sunday's game with a plan to keep the ball out of Higgins' hands even if it meant committing penalties. Pittsburgh cornerback Joey Porter was called for six penalties on Sunday, which was the most by an NFL cornerback since 2022.

The plan was somewhat successful as he logged just five receptions on 10 targets for 69 yards, his fewest since Week 4. Still, Higgins found the end zone once and the Bengals put up 38 points.

Cincinnati's high-powered offense wasn't enough to get past the Steelers, though, as Russell Wilson threw for 414 yards and three touchdowns as Pittsburgh piled on 44 points.