Over the past few weeks, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense has not looked the same. Miscommunication and missed tackles have plagued them, making that unit less reliable. This week, they’ll need to be better defensively if they want to win. The Kansas City Chiefs haven’t looked dominant, but they’re still on top of the AFC. Patrick Mahomes is still the best quarterback in the league, so the Steelers face a tall task Wednesday. Teryl Austin is making sure to stress to his defense how elite Mahomes is.
“We have to be able to let our rush go, keep him in the pocket, not eliminate because it won’t eliminate everything, but cut down on the amount of times he’s able to step up and see the field or get outside the pocket,” Austin said Monday via the team’s transcripts. “That’s going to be a challenge for us and something I told our guys.
“It’s gonna be 60 minutes of football that way because you can’t ever take a play off with this guy because he can turn it on any one play.”
At this point, everyone knows how amazing Mahomes is. Players know he can create something out of nothing in the blink of an eye. However, it’s still important for Austin to beat that message into everyone’s head. If Mahomes isn’t pressured and contained, bad things could happen to the Steelers’ defense.
The last time the Steelers played against Mahomes wasn’t pretty. That game came in the first round of the 2021 playoffs. Mahomes had a phenomenal day, throwing for over 400 yards and five touchdowns. Austin likely remembers how the quarterback tore his defense to shreds.
This season, Mahomes has thrown for 3,608 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. Compared to some of his other seasons, those aren’t great numbers. However, he’s still been the driving force behind the best team in the AFC. He’s been much improved over the past few weeks too.
Mahomes hasn’t thrown an interception since Week 11. He looks much more like the quarterback who won the last two Super Bowls. Austin is likely correct that the Steelers won’t be able to totally stop Mahomes. However, if they can limit him in some capacity, that might be enough to score them the win.
Unfortunately, the Steelers’ defense has hit a rough patch at the wrong time. If they play against the Chiefs like they did against the Baltimore Ravens, Mahomes will probably have an easy day at the office. They’ve been prone to too many mistakes.
Hopefully, Austin’s message will help them get their heads on straight. Dropping the Chiefs game would mark their third loss in a row, a poor stretch to have with the season almost over. Frustrating Mahomes and the Chiefs would be a step in the right direction for the Steelers. That starts with keeping the superstar quarterback contained.
