Before Week 12, the Pittsburgh Steelers were playing extremely well, but they still had their doubters. After dropping the ball against the Cleveland Browns, the voices questioning them have only grown louder. Analyst Pete Prisco has been one of the Steelers’ biggest detractors since before the season started. Now, he’s questioning if they’re any good at all.
“Are they really?” Prisco asked Tuesday on CBS Sports’ Pushing the Pile podcasr. “The reason I say this, you go deeper into their numbers. You think they run the ball great, 4.0 per rush? Do they rush the passer great? They’re middle of the pack rushing the passer. They’re just well-coached.”
Prisco’s point is a strange one to make. It’s fair to say the Steelers don’t run the ball as well they should. They’ve been successful in some games, but in others, they’ve put up duds. However, trying to say they’re pass rush isn’t elite is bizarre. That is the best part of their team.
According to Team Rankings, the Steelers are 21st in the league in sacks per game and 23rd in sack percentage. Like Prisco says, they are more in the middle than they should be considering their talent up front. However, those stats don’t tell the whole story.
For much of the season, the Steelers have been without Alex Highsmith. He’s missed time on two separate occasions due to injuries to his groin and ankle. While Highsmith was out, the Steelers also lost Nick Herbig for a stretch of time. Injuries derailed their pass rush in the middle of the season.
They did trade for veteran Preston Smith, but it makes sense that he wouldn’t be able to immediately jump in and learn a new scheme. Yes, the Steelers’ pass rush had a bit of a letdown against the Browns, but the one sack they did record was a huge difference maker.
Prisco expanded on why he’s not very impressed with the Steelers’ pass rush.
“If you’ve got T.J. Watt and you’re middle of the pack, that’s not good enough,” he said. “They’ve gotta be better rushing the passer.”
That point has a little more credence to it. The Steelers’ pass rush does need to be better than it was in Week 12. That game might have just been an outlier though. The Steelers only recorded two sacks in Week 11, but their defensive front did a phenomenal job against Lamar Jackson. That is more indicative of who they are.
This week the Steelers will have a prime opportunity to prove Prisco wrong. The Cincinnati Bengals’ offensive line has not been stout this year. Joe Burrow has been sacked 26 times, which is tied for ninth most in the NFL. Watt and company will have chances to bring Burrow down and prove they are elite.
