CINCINNATI — Mike Tomlin didn’t mince words on Monday when asked asked about the rare intra-divisional trade that sent Joe Flacco from the Browns to the Bengals.

“(Browns GM) Andrew Berry must be a lot smarter than me or us,” Tomlin said. “Because it doesn’t make sense to me to trade a quarterback that you think enough of to make your opening day starter to a division opponent that’s hurting in that area. But that’s just my personal feelings.”

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On Thursday night, Tomlin’s fears were realized. While the Browns deemed Flacco expendable, the 40-year-old quarterback proved that he still has plenty left in his right arm — and plenty of experience against the Steelers. Flacco, on his 10th day as a Bengal, passed for 342 yards, three touchdowns and led a game-winning field goal drive, dicing up the Steelers defense and outdueling Aaron Rodgers in a shootout, 33-31.

What went wrong?

“It seemed like everything,” T.J. Watt said. “Absolutely unacceptable performance from us on the defensive side of the ball.”

Flacco stepped into an offense full of firepower. The elite receiving tandem of Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins gives a lot of teams fits. Tomlin and defensive coordinator Teryl Austin acknowledged that was part of the inspiration for the makeover of the secondary this offseason. The Steelers felt that with three touted corners — Joey Porter Jr., Darius Slay and Jalen Ramsey — they were better positioned