They believed they could be historic, one of the best defenses of all-time, a terrific unit featuring star talent at all three levels. Through two games, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense has been anything but.
The struggles continued Sunday in the home opener against the Seattle Seahawks as Pittsburgh’s defense couldn’t stop the run, had no answers in coverage and was thoroughly beaten by the Seahawks in a 31-17 loss. Pittsburgh allowed 18 plays of 10-plus yards, and the backbreaker came on a 19-yard Kenneth Walker III touchdown run on a 3rd-and-goal situation.
Injuries are starting to mount on the defensive side of the football, and guys just flat-out aren’t performing on the field.
“It’s frustrating that we have some of the most talented guys to ever play their position in here. For it to happen to them, for me to miss an assignment, you don’t want that to happen,” second-year linebacker Payton Wilson told reporters, according to video via KDKA’s Extra Point Show. “It’s just frustrating but it’s football. You’ve just got to get back in there and get better and push forward.”
The Steelers do have some of the most talented players of their era on the roster. Cameron Heyward is a future Hall of Famer, as is T.J. Watt. Jalen Ramsey is one of the best defensive backs of his generation, and Darius Slay has had one heck of a career. Even Patrick Queen at inside linebacker is a high-end talent.
And yet, with all that talent, the Steelers can’t seem to figure out issues defensively.
The biggest issue is their run defense. After allowing 299 rushing yards to the Baltimore Ravens in an AFC Wild Card round loss in January, the Steelers set out to solve their run-defense issues. They drafted Derrick Harmon in the first round and Yahya Black in the fifth round. They signed veteran Daniel Ekuale and re-signed Isaiahh Loudermilk and inserted Wilson into the starting lineup next to Queen.
It’s just two weeks of game action for a defense that didn’t play much — if at all — in the preseason. So, they’re working out some kinks. But the issues run deeper than just getting game reps in and getting into football shape.
The schematics appear too simple and bland for today’s NFL, and teams know how to attack the Steelers. They’re able to scheme against a guy like Watt, too, and players around him simply aren’t stepping up and making plays.
Injuries are playing a part, sure, but they happen across the NFL landscape. It’s next man up, and right now the next man up for the Steelers isn’t playing all that well.
The Steelers’ run defense issues are very concerning. It’s the same thing as last season, though Queen believes they’re different. They are getting punished up front, pushed around and ultimately worn down.
“It is concerning, but in the NFL if just one guy is out of his gap by six inches here or six inches there, we just have to continue to communicate in all our assignments and be in our gaps and not try to make every single play on the field,” Wilson said of the run defense. “The amount of work we put into the, the amount of time we put into it, it’s obviously frustrating but it’s a matter of getting better and just continuing to push forward. We’ve got to continue to build and sustain a whole game.
“Not just a good drive here. We have to sustain the whole game.”
The Steelers flashed good run defense at times against the Seahawks. But it was too far and few between. Walker’s backbreaking run was a good example of it. Granted, Heyward wasn’t on the field, and the Seahawks ran to the side he’s usually on. But guys have to step up.
They didn’t, Seattle gashed them, and the lack of a run defense will be a topic for another week. The Steelers have a chance to correct it in Week 3 against New England on the road.
