The Pittsburgh Steelers assembled a roster that, on paper, looks capable of accomplishing anything this season. Mike Tomlin himself said the defense has “historic” potential. But so far, both sides of the ball have underperformed, which leads to questions about coaching and scheme.
Even Ben Roethlisberger seems to be questioning if the Steelers have the coaching advantage in their upcoming matchup against the Minnesota Vikings.
“If I say that I think we’re gonna get outcoached, is that controversial?” Roethlisberger said via his Footbahlin podcast, trying to be cautious with his words. “I’ll say this, I think Brian Flores is a very good defensive coordinator…I think coach Kevin O’Connell is an exceptional offensive mind.
“They’re gonna find ways to try and exploit our defense, and their defense—which is what everyone does, I get it—I just think that there’s a chance that it could…”
Roethlisberger stopped at the end of his sentence and gestured back to his notebook, where he initially suggested the Steelers would lose and possibly be outcoached.
With the Steelers’ defensive talent underperforming through three weeks to the tune of 386 yards and 23.3 points allowed per game, even the most ardent Steelers supporters would have a hard time defending the coaching staff at the moment.
Meanwhile, the Vikings just came off a 14-3 season last year with reclamation project Sam Darnold at quarterback and just lit up the Cincinnati Bengals 48-10 in Week 3 without J.J. McCarthy.
O’Connell runs a modern offense and has some of the best weapons in the game to make it come to life. Justin Jefferson has been one of the top receivers in the league for years, and Jordan Addison is returning from suspension for Week 4. TE T.J. Hockenson is among the best in the league at his position, and their run game hummed along just fine without Aaron Jones last week. Maintaining production despite injuries is a sign of good scheme, and that’s something the Steelers have struggled with so far this season.
The Steelers know firsthand what Brian Flores is capable of as a defensive coordinator. He spent one season as their linebacker coach. Mike Tomlin spoke at length about Flores during his press conference earlier today.
Flores is really good at scheming up pressure and stressing offensive lines with different blitz packages. That doesn’t bode well for the Steelers, who have forced Aaron Rodgers to get rid of the ball quicker than almost any quarterback in the league this year.
The Vikings have an excellent collection of talent, but their coaching is what really makes it come alive. There’s a reason they were ESPN’s No. 1-ranked staff entering the season. The onus is on the Steelers’ coaches to stay one step ahead, or at least keep up.
