There is no question that the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense has been bad to start 2025. And it goes back to the end of the 2024 NFL season. The defense is giving up a ton of yards on the ground and is struggling to communicate, especially against the pass. But the big question is, why are they struggling? What happened to the defense that head coach Mike Tomlin had “historic” expectations for?
Is it that the players aren’t very good? Or is the coaching staff not doing things right?
“It all starts up front,” insider Ray Fittipaldo said Tuesday on the North Shore Drive Podcast. “We could put it on the players; they’re not performing well. But I think you also have to put it on Mike Tomlin and Karl Dunbar… There was one clip I saw where Keeanu Benton actually turned his back on a double-team and just got obliterated 10 yards down the field. Either they’re not being taught right, or they’re not taking to the coaching. But either way, it’s not working.”
As in most things, it’s a little bit of Column A (the players) and a little bit of Column B (the coaching). This is the NFL. Players should never turn their backs on a double-team and allow those blockers to wash them down the field 10 yards. That’s the sort of thing that should be hammered into your head. Is that a player issue or a coaching issue? Is Benton just forgetting everything he’s been taught? Or is his defensive line coach, Karl Dunbar, not getting through to him?
And even that turns into further questions. Is it a teaching issue that Dunbar is unable to communicate with his players? Or is Benton simply not listening to his coaching? Heck, is Benton not capable of executing what his coaches are asking of him?
If it’s the latter, that’s on the coaching staff. Coaches have to put their players in the best spots possible to succeed. If Dunbar, or even head coach Mike Tomlin, is asking players to do things they’re not capable of, that’s a coaching problem, not a player problem. In Benton’s case, Fittipaldo has been consistent in saying the Steelers are misusing him as a nose tackle.
The Steelers have been wholly ineffective on defense through two weeks. As former NFL center Jeff Saturday put it, Seattle Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III looked like “a hot knife to butter” on Sunday. That’s after the Steelers gave up 182 rushing yards to the New York Jets in Week 1. This isn’t what Tomlin thought he’d be fielding this season, that’s for sure.
“For a guy who was so bullish on this team and on this defense in July and August, for things to unfold this way, how can he be so wrong about this?” Fittipaldo said. “I think he was confident. I legitimately think he thought this was going to be one of his best defenses.”
And here we are, watching the Steelers’ defense hemorrhage yards and points. If you want to compare this defense to arguably Tomlin’s best defense, check out our very own Ross McCorkle’s post. This defense has given up 30-plus points in each of the first two games this season. Maybe that changes. But right now, the defense is not giving anyone confidence in that.
