The Pittsburgh Steelers made a lot of mistakes against the Seattle Seahawks that resulted in them losing 31-17. While their run defense started off a little better, they wilted toward the end of the game. That was punctuated by Kenneth Walker III’s touchdown on 3rd and goal. It was one of the ugliest plays of the day for the Steelers, and it’s still frustrating Cam Heyward, even though he wasn’t on the field for it.
“I think that 3rd and 19 was just unforgivable,” Heyward said Thursday via the team’s website. “You look at that situation, you gotta know they’re playing a lot of safe football there.
“If you give up any yards, it can’t be for a touchdown. Gotta take good angles, can’t go behind blocks, gotta get off blocks. All of those were included in the run game. But understanding what an offense is trying to do in those situations.”
That play came with a little less than four minutes left in the game. The Seahawks were up 24-17, and the Steelers had just sacked Sam Darnold. Seattle wasn’t looking for a touchdown on that play. They just wanted to protect the football and their field position. A field goal still would’ve put them up by two scores.
Unfortunately, the Steelers’ defense collapsed in that moment. Had the Seahawks only kicked a field goal, the Steelers still would’ve had a chance, however slight, at coming back. Walker’s touchdown basically ended the game, though. There was no hope left for the Steelers.
That drive as a whole wasn’t pretty for the Steelers. A few plays before that touchdown, Darnold connected with wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba on a 43-yard pass. Explosive plays were their downfall that day.
Patrick Queen took some blame for that play, but the blame falls on the entire Steelers’ defense. For the second week in a row, they weren’t good enough. That play wasn’t their only error. Players and coaches think their issues are fixable, but they need to prove it.
The Steelers are a franchise that’s usually defined by their defense. They haven’t lived up to that standard this year, though. Walker’s touchdown run encapsulates the Steelers’ issues defending the ground game.
