Colin Cowherd’s recent comments on the Pittsburgh Steelers prioritizing defense over offense in terms of spending has taken social media by storm, with some criticizing Pittsburgh for allocating money in free agency to its own defensive free agents compared to outside offensive players. Others are defending the Steelers’ strategy as their young offensive players are all on their rookie deals including their quarterback, allowing them to spend more money on the defensive side of the football.
Cowherd called Pittsburgh a team that’s embraced the identity of being tough and physical but isn’t staying with the current times of having a high-flying offensive attack and a defense that can just get you by. Honestly, the Steelers sticking to their identity, building vaunted, stingy defenses that are tough to score against while also possessing an offense that can win on the ground as well as through the air.
In fact, the Steelers are tops in the league in fewest points per game allowed since the NFL/AFL merger in 1966, allowing just 18.7 points per game. For context, the second-place team in this metric is the Baltimore Ravens, who have allowed 19.0 ppg with the Dallas Cowboys following at 19.6 ppg and the Chicago Bears at 20.0 ppg.
Sure, this is the result of Pittsburgh teams that played decades ago, but it speaks to the championship DNA the Steelers have within themselves as an organization. Every Super Bowl-winning team Pittsburgh has had boasted an elite defense along with every team that made the big dance but fell just short of capturing a Lombardi Trophy.
Many have gone out to say that you can no longer win championships off defense and that offense rules the day in the quest for Super Bowls. While I agree that you must have a franchise-caliber quarterback to lead your offense to be a legit playoff contender, having a good defense is still a necessity. We saw that with the Chiefs last season as their defense made plenty of big plays in the Super Bowl to seal the victory. The Los Angeles Rams had a stacked defense when they won two seasons ago as well as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who had a loaded defensive front along with talented linebackers and a ball-hawking secondary.
Pittsburgh needs Kenny Pickett to step up and be that franchise quarterback to have a real shot at a Lombardi, but neglecting the defense to support Pickett on offense is bad process. A strong defense has led the Steelers to their first six Super Bowls and likely will be a big reason they will capture their seventh when that day comes.
