The Pittsburgh Steelers entered Week 2 looking to start the year 2-0. Unfortunately, they couldn’t win their home opener, losing to the Seattle Seahawks. It was another ugly game by the Steelers, one defined by some major mistakes. Their defense is particularly worrisome. They let the New York Jets walk all over them in Week 1. While they made more plays in Week 2, they still didn’t have a complete performance, fading as the game went on. Despite that, former NFL defensive lineman Beau Allen isn’t worried about the Steelers.
“I have confidence that the Steelers are gonna get it right, especially defensively,” Allen said recently on the Green Light with Chris Long podcast. “They have the pedigree there, and I think they have the players, more importantly.
“They also have a lot of baller Wisconsin Badgers on that defense, so I want to give them the benefit of the doubt. I think they’re gonna get it right. I think it boils down to a critical mistake in the fourth quarter by a rookie who is I’m sure having a tough film session today.”
Allen is referring to Kaleb Johnson’s mental error on a kickoff near the start of the fourth quarter. That play busted the game open, gifting the Seahawks a touchdown to put them up by 10 points. It sucked the life out of the Steelers, and they couldn’t quite find their footing after that.
However, there was still a lot of time for the Steelers to get back into the game after that gaffe. They got the ball back with more than 12 minutes left in the game. Their offense put together a drive that ended in a field goal, making it a one-score game with a little less than eight minutes remaining.
The Steelers needed a big stop from their defense, but unfortunately, that unit fell to pieces. They played some of their worst football of the day at the wrong time. The Seahawks went on a 73-yard drive that ate up most of the time left in the fourth quarter, capping it with a touchdown.
While Allen is confident that the Steelers’ talent will eventually get them back on track, things might not be so simple. Talent doesn’t equate to wins. The Steelers’ defense was committed to getting right after Week 1. However, some of the same issues plagued that unit.
The Steelers have the most expensive defense in the NFL. It should be one of the best units in the league. That hasn’t been the case yet. Yes, they could turn things around, but they haven’t done a lot to earn that confidence yet. Additionally, injuries are starting to pile up for them. That won’t help. We’ll see if the Steelers’ defense can show signs of growth in Week 3.
