The Pittsburgh Steelers came into this season with massive expectations defensively. Part of the reason for that is a new addition in Juan Thornhill, who has repeatedly mentioned that he believes this defense can be one of the best in NFL history.
Those expectations seem lofty to say the least after a poor showing in Week 1 against the New York Jets. Pittsburgh struggled defensively throughout the game, mostly against the run. That’s something the defense has gone over this week and now knows how to stop, says Thornhill.
“Just not trying to do too much,” the veteran safety said Thursday after practice, via 93.7 The Fan on X. “So if you got like a certain gap, just stay in your gap. That was pretty much the biggest issue last week. But I think we got those things fixed. I’m not worried about it.”
The Steelers certainly had a problem staying in their gaps. Cam Heyward and Keeanu Benton got tossed around on the interior, and at times were shoved straight back into the linebackers. For Benton, that may be a case of doing too much as Thornhill describes, although he is not singling any player out to be clear. However, Benton at times tried too hard to make a play instead of just filling his gap, which helped New York move him out of position.
The bottom line is, the Steelers need to be better. From Juan Thornhill to Heyward, Benton, and even the linebackers, nobody consistently made tackles or filled gaps last Sunday. Those problems are especially concerning since the Steelers had very similar issues at the end of the 2024 season. That culminated in a drubbing by the Baltimore Ravens in the playoffs when Baltimore rushed for 299 yards. The Jets didn’t pick up nearly as many, but the Steelers didn’t look any better.
Pittsburgh may be getting an easier test against Seattle this week. The Seahawks couldn’t run the ball at all against a 49ers defensive line that doesn’t have a ton of talent outside of Nick Bosa. On paper, Zach Charbonnet and Kenneth Walker III are a talented running duo. Neither got anything going in Week 1, though.
It really has to be a get-right game for the Steelers’ defense, especially against the run. Juan Thornhill is still a believer in the unit, but Steelers fans may have to wait and see it transpire on the field first.
