Remember three games into the season the Steelers had the best defense in the NFL—and then suddenly they didn’t? Even the players who line up and play ball know that, even better than the stat sheet does. Those who remain from that unit are actively working to avoid the drop-off from last season, guarding against the pitfalls that led to it.
Asked about all the talk this year about the Steelers’ “historic” potential on defense, Alex Highsmith shared his thoughts on 102.5 WDVE. “I think for us, it’s just gonna be about, go out there and execute every single week. We know the type of players that we have. But ultimately, we have to be consistent,” he said on 102.5 WDVE.
“Especially towards the end of the year,” the Steelers edge rusher continued. “Because last year, things started slacking toward the end of the year with our detail and some communication and stuff like that. We’ve just got to be able to be consistent throughout the whole year, and it starts Week 1.”
Through eight weeks last season, the Steelers ranked third in points allowed and 13th in yards allowed. The passing game was following a bend-but-don’t-break approach, as attested to their second-ranked turnover total skewing toward interceptions. They relied on a turnover culture, and it worked for most of the year.
By season’s end, the Steelers ranked eighth in points allowed and 12th in yards allowed, and first in takeaways. Over the final nine games, they allowed 25-plus points five times—six including the postseason. They also allowed 300-plus yards six times. Going back to the first half of the year, they allowed 300-plus yards in six consecutive games.
It wasn’t so much an overall collapse of the defense, but rather a series of lapses. Opponents took advantage of the Steelers’ mistakes, communication errors, partially attributable to lineup changes. Many believe that Cameron Sutton, who missed the first eight games due to suspension, was central to those issues.
Most damning was the regression of the turnover culture. Over their final four games, including the playoffs, the Steelers only recorded three takeaways. Having had 30 in the first 14 games, needless to say, that is a significant drop.
The Steelers have many new pieces this year, but they also believe they are mature, experienced ones. Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay may not have been here last year, but they know how to communicate. Donte Jackson is gone, as are some others. Minkah Fitzpatrick is the most notable name. There is some debate out there as to whether he contributed to the defensive woes, but I don’t think there’s enough evidence to support an affirmative claim.
This Steelers defense can’t afford to look back, however, only forward. They can’t fix their previous mistakes, but they can work to avoid repeating them. That’s what they’ve focused so much of their energies on this offseason, but they have to prove it first.
