Though the Pittsburgh Steelers are missing some significant pieces defensively, particularly in the secondary without cornerback Donte Jackson and safety DeShon Elliott, the performance from the highest-paid defense in football the last two weeks has been rather lackluster.
The showing Saturday against the Baltimore Ravens, one in which the Steelers couldn’t stop the run and allowed two red zone touchdowns to wide open tight ends due to miscommunications, had veteran linebacker Patrick Queen fed up after the 34-17 loss, stating that the defense needs to get on the same page before things get ugly.
It doesn’t get any easier on a short week, this time against the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day.
For Queen, who spoke to reporters Monday, this is a time that the defense should be taking off, not falling back like they have the last two weeks. Against the Chiefs, Queen says the Steelers’ defense needs urgency.
“You gotta have a sense of urgency, especially with this type of game, all the stuff is riding on this game,” Queen said of the Steelers’ defense, according to video via 93.7 The Fan on Twitter. “And then, just getting into the back half of the season, postseason and stuff, this is when you supposed to be taking off as defense, not falling back.”
Urgency is key, especially when things are heightened like this. It’s unclear if the urgency wasn’t there before, but in this type of environment on Christmas Day, coming off two straight ugly losses in which the defense missed a combined 36 tackles and didn’t have an answer for the passing game against the Eagles or the run game against the Ravens, things have to get fixed — and fixed quickly.
That’s a tall task with just four days between games. But the possible return of the likes of Jackson and Elliott defensively, along with defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi, could certainly help the Steelers’ defense.
At times on Saturday against the Ravens, the Steelers defense showed flashes. They were forcing fumbles, but they just weren’t getting the ball to bounce to them. They created pressure, too. But the inability to stop the run — the Ravens rushed for 220 yards — was a real problem. Communication issues compounded the inability to stop the run.
Since the loss to the Ravens, head coach Mike Tomlin and team captain Cameron Heyward have talked about getting back into the lab. Queen has found his voice as a leader, too, and had some harsh words for the defense.
Their backs are against the wall defensively. They’ve been so good throughout the year, but the last two weeks have been concerning. It will be very interesting to see how they respond on a short week and a big stage on Christmas Day.
