There’s been a lot of media attention focused on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ red-zone offense—for good reason. They’ve been one of the worst in football, too often settling for field goals instead of celebrating in the end zone. But their struggles there have taken the heat off the Steelers’ red zone defense. After a hot start, they’ve faded and struggled just as much, yet it’s received hardly any attention.
In the past four games since the bye, opposing teams are 12-of-14 inside the 20, with a touchdown rate of 85.7 percent. That isn’t a Steelers-like figure and is a departure from the beginning of the year. Compare how that stacks up to the first four games of Pittsburgh’s season.
Steelers Red-Zone Defense
First Four Games: 36.3-percent (4-of-11)
Last Four Games: 85.7-percent (12-of-14)
Per TeamRankings.com, which tracks red zone defense over the past three games, the Steelers are 31st. Only the San Francisco 49ers at 100 percent have been worse. Once the No. 1 red zone defense early in the year, they’ve fallen to 15th on the season.
Opponents do make a difference. The first four teams didn’t feature the potency Pittsburgh is seeing now. Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins was rusty, Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix was a rookie, Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert was hobbled, and the Indianapolis Colts had the most success, going 3-of-5 in their win. The Steelers have faced stiffer competition since in quarterback play and overall offenses.
But that’s sort of the point. Those are the caliber of teams and quarterbacks Pittsburgh will see the rest of the way. Rematches against the Ravens and Bengals. The Philadelphia Eagles’ Jalen Hurts, the Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes. Whoever Pittsburgh pulls in the playoffs will likely feature a good quarterback and offense. Even if it’s the Broncos or Chargers, the Steelers will see a different team than early in the year. Nix is a far better quarterback after going through growing pains. Herbert, presumably, will be healthy.
Pittsburgh’s struggles aren’t a large sample size. Seasons have ebbs and flows, ups and downs. But this is a point of emphasis for the defense, just as it’s been for the offense. Getting back to the red zone takeaways the Steelers were accustomed to in 2023 and the start of 2024 would be nice. But holding teams to field goals would be a start.
